Just Friends
by Silwyna
Summary: When the Cylons find New Caprica, Lee chrash lands on the planet and ends up with Kara, Anders and Zarek. Some small spoilers for LDYB, otherwise AU.
1. Chapter 1

_A.N: In this story Lee never became Commander of the Pegasus and is still Galactica's CAG. He still has the rank of a Captain and Anders never got sick._

**Just friends**

**By Silwyna**

Horrorstricken, Kara watched the Cylon ships landing on the planet. She could see the battle in the sky. The Galactica fought hard, but she didn't think they had much of a chance. She hoped they would get the chance to jump away in time. She needed the Galactica to be safe. She needed Lee to be safe.

"What is going on here?" Sam asked terrified.

They both stood several miles away from New Caprica City in the mountains, watching the Cylons occupying their new home. Kara and Sam had been surveying the surroundings for the last few days. Kara hadn't liked the idea of going away so far from the town, but now she was glad they did. Had they been in New Caprica City, they would either be dead now or imprisoned. As Kara had sworn never to be a Cylon prisoner again, she would have chosen the first option.

"The Cylons found us." Kara responded to Sam's question. Not that he needed an answer. He could see with his own eyes what was going on. It was just too hard to believe.

"How?" He whispered.

Suddenly they saw a ship going down fast towards the planet. Obviously the pilot had lost all control over the ship as it spiraled uncontrollably down to the planet. Only seconds later it crashed in a nearby forest.

"Good, one less." Sam hissed.

"That looked more like a viper." Kara said alarmed. Before the last word had left her mouth, she started running towards the crash site.

"Kara wait, you can't know that. It was too far away." Sam called after her. But she wasn't listening and kept running. Swearing, he quickly followed her.

It took them about half an hour to reach the crash site. The viper looked badly damaged and the pilot was still inside. Kara wanted to run to the ship immediately, but was stopped by Sam.

"Wait, this could be a trap." He whispered, holding her tightly on her arm.

"A trap?" Kara stared at him. "The Cylons don't even know we're here. How could this possibly be a trap?"

"The Cylons weren't supposed to know we're on this planet either. But they found us." Sam countered. "And the way this viper looks, the pilot is already dead. He hasn't even tried to get out."

"He could be hurt, unconscious ... He could be one of my friends, Sam. Whoever it is, I'm not leaving him behind." Kara hissed and pulled out of Sam's tight grasp. The she quickly ran over to the viper.

The canopy was covered with cracks, so that she couldn't see much inside the viper. With some effort she managed to open the canopy after a few minutes. When she finally saw the pilot inside, she held her breath. She did know this pilot – it was Lee. His helmet looked battered and there was blood on his face. He was also bleeding from a pretty bad-looking wound on his left leg, where a piece of metal stuck in. When she searched for a pulse, she accidentally touched the wound on his leg and Lee let out a short, painful moan.

"Hold on, Lee. I'll get you out of here." She looked back to where Sam was still standing behind some trees. She willed him to come over and seeing the desperate look in her eyes, he finally moved closer.

"He's still alive. I need help to get him out." She quickly explained when Sam had reached the viper. Kara was worried about the blood that was still coming out of the leg wound but as long as he was bleeding, she at least knew that he was still alive.

Together they managed to get Lee out of the viper. The movement woke him momentarily from his unconsciousness and he winced in pain. But he slipped back as quickly as he woke up.

When he finally lay on the ground, Kara carefully removed the helmet. He had a bad-looking wound on his forehead that was bleeding heavily.

"He probably has a concussion." Kara muttered. Then she looked at his leg. Carefully she pulled out the metal, before she ripped of a piece of her shirt and used it as a bandage to stop the bleeding. "There should be a med kit in the viper." She told Sam without taking her eyes off of Lee.

He only hesitated a second before he got up to get it. He looked down at the injured man. Of all pilots, why did it have to be Lee Adama to crash practically right in front of them? He didn't know what happened between Kara and Lee, but he knew they had some kind of history. And he knew that Lee Adama held a special place in Kara's heart, even though she would never admit that. A place that should only belong to him, Sam Anders.

It took Kara only a few minutes to take care of Lee's other wounds. She tried to wake him up again several times, but his eyes stayed closed. The only sign that he was still alive was his slow breathing.

"What are we going to do now? We can't stay here." Sam looked questioningly at Kara.

She thought about that for a moment. "There were some caves higher up the mountain. We could hide there."

"What about him?" Sam pointed at Lee.

"We carry him. Together we should be able to get him up there." Without waiting for a response, Kara took Lee's arm and put it around her shoulder. Then she looked expectantly at Sam. Sighing he took Lee's other arm and followed her example. Then they carefully got up and started walking higher up the mountain, dragging Lee between them.

Even though both Kara and Sam were strong people, they struggled to keep going with Lee between them. He was dead weight and it took all their strength to hold him. They didn't dare to take any breaks on their way and when they finally reached the cave, they were both out of breath and sagged to the floor immediately.

"I hope he's worth it." Sam choked between breaths.

"He is worth more than you and me together." Kara glared angrily at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sam asked, offended.

But Kara had already turned her attention back to Lee and ignored his question. She carefully opened his flight suit and pulled it down to the waist to look for more wounds. There were just some cuts and bruises but she feared that he might have internal injuries. The way it felt, he might have some broken ribs.

"We need Cottle here." She suddenly said.

"Sure, we just go down there and ask him to join our little cave party." Sam replied sarcastically.

"We have to do something. I'm not going to watch him die."

Sighing Sam looked from Kara to Lee. He really looked like death wasn't too far away. All color had drained from his face and the blood on him made his skin look even paler.

"We don't know what happened down there. Cottle is probably dead along with everyone else." He finally said.

"We don't know that." Kara called out angry. "Maybe the Cylons took them as prisoners. They could still be alive. I can't just sit around doing nothing."

"All of the sudden the Cylons are taken prisoners? They never did that before. Expect the women, of course." He cursed himself for his last remark. He knew how sensitive a subject that was for Kara. "Okay, we wait until it's night. Then we go down there and see what happened."

"I can't leave him alone." Kara whispered.

"Fine." Sam let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm going and you're staying here with your new boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend." Kara looked at him, surprised.

"Well, he's obviously worth more to you than I am." Sam still felt offended about her previous remark.

"Sam, Lee and I are just friends." Kara said, looking intently at her husband. "You don't have to be jealous."

Sam looked at Kara a long time before he decided to drop the subject. "Okay, it's settled. Tonight I check on the city and you watch our beloved Captain." Sam couldn't hide the sarcasm in his last remark.

"Fine." Kara said quietly.

XXXXXXX

Kara waited anxiously for Sam to return. He had been gone for hours. She hated that she could do nothing but wait. She almost wished she had gone down there instead of Sam. But when she looked down at Lee, she knew she could have never left. She couldn't leave him alone when he couldn't defend himself should anything happen. It wasn't that she didn't trust Sam, but when it came to Lee, she wasn't going to take any chances.

When she saw Lee stir in his sleep, she quickly grabbed his hand. "Lee, wake up. Please, wake up."

When he still didn't open his eyes, she tried another tactic. She knew that Lee would respond to that when he was able to. "Captain, wake up! That's an order!" She was surprised how steady her voice sounded. She didn't feel steady at all.

A small smile appeared on her face when she saw Lee's eyes flutter open. He looked around himself, confused. When he didn't recognize his surroundings, he tried to get up. Sharp pains in his chest and head stopped him. Groaning, he let his head fell down on the ground again.

"It's okay, Lee. Stay down. You're safe. Well, at least as safe as possible under the circumstances." Kara assured him.

"Kara?" He whispered when his eyes fell on her. His voice sounded so weak that it was hardly audible.

"I'm here." She grasped his hand a bit tighter. "Are you in pain?" She knew that was a stupid question. She only had to take one look at him to know the answer.

Lee thought about the question for a moment. "Yeah ..." He finally answered quietly. He sounded surprised. He must be in a lot of pain if he was willing to admit that. "What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Kara asked carefully.

Lee closed his eyes. Kara was afraid that he had slipped back into unconsciousness, but only a few moments later she met his blue eyes again. They were filled with pain and confusion.

"I launched for CAP and ... Oh gods, the Cylons!" Again he tried to get up, but was stopped by Kara.

"Stay down, there is nothing you can do. It's already too late." She said quietly.

"Galactica?" He choked out. The scared look in his eyes broke her heart.

"I don't know." She whispered. She wished she could give him a better answer.

"Did you see ... an explosion ... in the sky?" He struggled to get the words out. Kara could see that he was fighting hard to stay awake.

"No, I didn't." She was confused about his question at first, but then it hit her. "I guess that means they got away." She said hopefully.

"Yeah ..." His voice trailed off and his eyes fell close. He'd lost consciousness again.

"Please don't die." Kara whispered. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes, but she forced herself not to cry. She couldn't get weak now. She needed to stay strong for Lee.

XXXXXXX

A short time later Sam returned, but he was not alone.

"Look who I found running around in the woods." He said with a big grin on his face.

Kara looked in disgust at the man standing next to her husband. "Zarek." She spat out. Of all people that had managed to flee from the city, it had to be Tom Zarek!

"Lieutenant Thrace, what a pleasant surprise." Zarek greeted her with a smug smile.

"She's not in the military anymore." Sam explained. He suddenly felt uncomfortable. He could feel the tension between his wife and Tom Zarek.

"Well, I think she just enlisted again." Zarek replied smugly.

"Should that ever be the case, you'd have to call me _Captain_ Thrace!" Kara countered angrily.

"Excuse me, I don't follow military promotions as much as I probably should. I hope you are willing to take my apology, _Captain_. But maybe we should get to the more urgent subject now. The Cylons have occupied New Caprica." He said quietly.

"What's it like down there?" Kara asked Sam. She chose to ignore Zarek for the moment.

"The settlers are alive, at least most of them. The Cylons have started to build some kind of fence around the city. They're keeping the settlers as prisoners, but they're not killing them." Sam explained.

"That's good news. Now we just have to find a way to free them." Kara said, relieved. She had already feared the worst. But with the settlers being alive, there was still hope.

"Kara, you don't understand. From what it looked like, the whole frakking Cylon fleet is down there. There is nothing we can do."

"We have to do something. You've already been in this situation before. On Caprica ..."

"Caprica was different. This is ..."

"How was it different? You fought Cylons on Caprica, you can fight them here too!"

"Kara ..."

"Please, can I make a suggestion?" Zarek interrupted the arguing couple.

"Shut up." Kara hissed at him.

"Maybe we should hear him out." Sam countered.

"Hear him out? What could he possible have to say that is worth listening to?" Kara got more and more agitated. She couldn't believe Sam would even consider listening to this murderer.

"I have some experience with fighting the authorities." Zarek pointed out smiling.

"You're a terrorist. We don't need your kind of experience." Kara hissed at him.

They were interrupted by a moan coming from Lee. Immediately Kara was at his side, forgetting the two other men for the moment.

"Lee?" She asked hopefully. Maybe this time he would wake up for a longer time. She needed him so much right now. Surely he had already come up with a plan how to come out of this frakked up situation in his sleep.

But Lee didn't want to wake up again. His whole body hurt and he knew that when he would open his eyes, reality would hit him and he would feel even worse. He wanted to let the darkness surround him again, but Kara's pleading voice held him back. Slowly he forced his eyes to open.

"Hey." Kara was at a loss of words right now. She wanted Lee to stay awake, but she knew that would only increase his pain. And there was nothing she could do to help him. No, there was one thing she could do for him that would at least take one worry of his mind. "The settlers are alive. I don't know why, but the Cylons aren't killing anyone this time. They're trapped inside the city, but they're alive." Kara smiled when she saw the relief in Lee's eyes. Even half-dead he still worried about the good of the fleet.

"What happened to him?" Zarek asked with a worried voice. He had just now noticed the Captain for the first time since he stepped into the cave.

"That's none of your business." Kara said angrily.

"His viper crashed in the forest a few hours ago." Sam explained, ignoring Kara's angry glance.

"He looks bad. Maybe I can help him ..."

"Don't you dare touch him. You stay away from him, you hear me?" Kara yelled at him.

"Lieutenant ..."

"That's Captain! And as a colonial officer I'm ordering you to stay away from him!" She glared furiously at the man standing in front of her.

"_Captain_, do you want him to die? Because that's what will happen if he doesn't get help. I know there is not much I can do, but I have a little medical experience. There weren't always doctors available where I come from." He explained.

Kara kept glaring at him, wondering what she should do now. She didn't want to put Lee's life in the hands of a terrorist. He had already tried to kill Lee before. But looking at Lee she knew that she didn't have a choice. He did need help and she had already done everything she could. There was nothing more she could do for him.

"Okay, help him. But I will watch you closely. And if you do anything wrong ..."

"I don't want him to die either, Captain." Zarek replied quietly. The he kneeled next to Lee and began examining him carefully. When he felt over his ribs, Lee let out another painful moan.

"Some ribs seem to be broken. I can't say for sure, but I think it's better if we wrap them. Do you have anything that we could use?"

"There should be something in the med kit." Kara handed the med kit to Zarek. Reluctantly she had to admit that he seemed to know what he was doing.

"I'm going to need your help. If you could hold him up a bit, I can wrap him." Zarek had already started to gently raise Lee's body in a half-sitting position. Again Lee winced in pain. This time his eyes fluttered open. When he saw Zarek directly in front of him, he tried to get out of his grasp.

"It's okay, Lee. He's only here to help you. It's okay." Kara tried to calm him. She gave him a comforting smile. She could see the trust in his eyes when he saw her right before his eyes closed again. He trusted her enough to keep him safe while he was in the hands of a man who had tried to kill him at least twice before. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes. What did she do to earn his trust? She had done nothing but disappoint him lately. The past few months she had believed that he hated her and now ...

"Captain?" Zarek looked at her expectantly

"Right." Forcing back the tears and concentrating on the matter at hand, Kara held Lee carefully while Zarek put the tape around his bruised chest. When he was done, she gently laid him back down on the ground, wiping some sweat from his forehead. She could feel the pain he was in as if it was her own.

"There should be some morpha in the med kit. Can't we give him some?" She asked helplessly. She wanted to ease Lee's pain so much.

"We should save the little we have. We might need it for later." Zarek denied her request. Angrily she glared at him. But she knew he was right. They only had enough morpha for a few shots and who knew how long they had to stay here before they could get help for Lee? And if they needed to move him to get to a safer place, he would need the morpha. Moving him would be a lot more painful than just laying still on the ground.

Zarek had started looking intently at Lee's leg. "The wound doesn't look good. I need to disinfect it and then we have to sew it up."

"Can you do it?" Kara asked quietly.

"I've done it a few times. It shouldn't be a problem. But it will hurt him. If he's lucky, he'll stay unconscious. If not, you'll have to hold him down. I don't want to waste any morpha on this."

Kara wanted to argue that easing Lee's pain would not be a waste but again she had to agree with him. They had to save the morpha for as long as possible.

As soon as Zarek stuck the needle from the med kit in the wound, Lee cried out in pain. He tried to double over and it took all of Kara's power to stop him from doing so. His agony only lasted a few seconds though as he slipped back into unconsciousness fast. Kara had to force herself to watch Zarek sewing the wound. She wanted to make sure he didn't do anything wrong, but at the same time she felt the pain of every stitch into Lee's wound as if it was her own. After a few minutes Zarek was done. He put some gauze on the wound and stepped away from Lee. He sat down a few meters away and leaned his head against the wall.

"We should all get some sleep and leave the decision for further actions for tomorrow. Who's willing to take the first watch?"

"And who put you in command?" Kara snapped at him. Even though she was grateful that he had helped Lee, she was not going to follow his orders.

"Kara, he's right." Sam cut in for the first time since Zarek had started treating Lee's wounds. "I'll take the first watch. I'll wake you in a few hours."

"No, I take the first watch. You get some sleep." Kara knew she wouldn't get any sleep as long as Zarek was around. She wouldn't let him out of her sight until Lee felt better. Realistically she knew that she had to sleep eventually. But she had kept without sleep for several days before, she could do it again.

Tbc

A.N.: Special thanks to laurie31 for beta reading this chapter. Thank you for reading and please review. :-)


	2. Chapter 2

Kara had been keeping watch for some hours when she heard a movement form inside the cave. She turned around and saw Zarek kneeling next to Lee, with a syringe in his hand.

"Hey, what are you doing?" She called out and quickly walked over.

"He has developed a fever and is shivering all over. I don't want to risk an infection, that's why I wanted to give him some antibiotics. Of course I can save the meds and just let the fever rise, if that's what you want."

"I want you to stay away from him. If you think he needs medication, you talk to me first." Kara replied in an agitated voice. Then she knelt next to Lee. He really was shivering and she could see the sweat on his face. When she put her hand on his forehead, she could feel the heat radiating from him. "Well, do it!" She hissed at Zarek.

Smiling to himself, he injected the antibiotics in Lee's arm. When he looked up at Kara again, he could see the worry in her eyes. "I can take the next watch. You can stay here with him. Let me know if it gets worse, okay?"

Although Kara hated to play by Zarek's rules, she was grateful for his offer. She didn't want to leave Lee's side now. She needed to know if the medication worked. "Okay." She nodded at him and Zarek left to take over her place at the entrance of the cave.

"Don't you dare die on me, Lee Adama." Kara whispered while she took his hand and squeezed it gently. Despite the medication the trembling got worse after a few minutes. It broke her heart to see him like this and she would have done anything to help him. Kara knew it wouldn't help him, but she lay down next to him and put her arms around him nevertheless. As she held him closely, she prayed to the gods not to take him away from her. And she promised him that she wouldn't let go of him until he got better.

This was how Sam found them the next morning. Seeing his wife closely cuddled with Lee made him angry within seconds. She had assured him they were just friends and here she was – lying next to him instead of her husband. He knew she was worried about him, but that wasn't an excuse. Not in his eyes anyway and not at this moment. Deciding that it would be best if he talked to her after he had calmed down a bit, he walked over to Zarek and told him that he would try to find something to eat. Then he left without another word.

Smiling, Zarek watched the other man leave. He had seen the anger in Sam's eyes and he could imagine what had brought that anger up. He had seen Kara lying next to Lee Adama. He had always thought the two were close. Maybe they were even closer than he had expected. Of course he could have told Sam about the Captain's worsened condition last night. But this really was none of his business and with Sam Anders and Kara Thrace fighting he might have a chance to get out of this situation in his own way. He wanted to save the settlers as much as Anders and Thrace, but he wasn't willing to give his life for that. He was fairly certain that Anders felt the same way, but he wasn't sure if Thrace wouldn't be willing to give up her own life and his for that of a thousand others.

When he looked back at the two young people still sleeping, he suddenly had an idea. Kara Thrace might be willing to risk her own life, but what about the life of Lee Adama? He believed that she would be more than willing to give up the settlers, if that meant keeping the Captain alive. So all he had to do was make sure that Apollo didn't get better – without killing him of course. As long as he wasn't able to defend himself, Thrace wouldn't leave his side. And with that he didn't think it would be difficult to get Sam Anders to agree to his plans, not Thrace's.

XXXXXXX

When Kara woke up, she felt sore all over. A cave floor wasn't the most comfortable place to spend the night. When she noticed that her head was lying on something warm and soft, she opened her eyes and looked around herself in confusion. Her head lay comfortably on Lee's arm. Pulling herself up to a sitting position, she took a closer look at her friend. He looked much better than he did last night. The shivering had stopped and when she checked his temperature, his skin felt cool. Now he just had to wake up.

"Lee?" She gently shook him on the arm. When he didn't react, she intensified the shaking a bit. "Lee, could you wake up for a second?" She hadn't meant to sound so pleading, but when she saw his eyes slowly open, she didn't care anymore. "Good morning." She smiled warmly at him.

"Morning." He replied weakly. Then he looked around at his surroundings.

"Remember where you are?" Kara asked quietly.

"Yeah ... Are you okay?" He turned his attention back to Kara.

"I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about."

"I'm okay. I just need to ..." He winced in pain as he tried to sit up. Groaning he let himself fall back on the ground.

"You're not okay, so just stay lying down."

"Good Morning. I'm sure you're already missing your husband." Zarek called from behind.

Surprised Kara turned around to him. She hadn't even noticed that Sam was gone yet. "Where is he?"

"He left early this morning to find something to eat." Zarek explained.

"Oh good, I'm starving ... But he shouldn't have gone alone. Why didn't you wake me? One of us should have gone with him."

"I think he needed some time alone." Zarek replied smiling.

"What do you mean?" Kara looked at him confused.

Before Zarek could answer, Sam returned. He had filled their water bottles and carried their rucksacks. They hadn't had time to retrieve them the other day. They had packed some food, blankets and a med kit for their little trip to the mountains and had left it when they were looking for the crashed viper. The contents wouldn't last long, but it was better than nothing.

"I hadn't even thought about them. Good to know I have you by my side." Kara smiled warmly at Sam.

Instead of giving her an answer, he completely ignored her and started unpacking the bags. Throwing a quick glance at Lee, she got up and walked over to her husband. "So, what do we have for breakfast?" She asked quietly.

"You packed the bags yourself, you should know." Sam replied coldly.

Confused, Kara looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Sam snapped at her.

"What are you talking about?" She put her hand on Sam's arm, hoping that he would at least look at her.

"Just forget it." Angrily Sam shrugged her hand off and walked out of the cave. "I'm getting some fire wood."

"Sam." Kara wanted to go after him, but she didn't want to leave Lee alone.

"Maybe you should go after him." Lee told her quietly. He didn't really want her to leave. He wanted her to stay with him, but he also wanted her to be happy. And she had chosen Sam to be the one to make her happy, so he wasn't going to stand in her way. And he knew she was only staying here because of his injuries. He didn't want to be the reason for a fight between her and Anders.

Uncertainly Kara looked back and forth between the cave entrance and Lee. Finally she made a decision. "I'll be right back." Then she got up and quickly followed Sam outside.

Lee was just about to slip back to sleep, when he heard Zarek talking to him. "How are you feeling this morning, Captain?"

When Lee opened his eyes, he was surprised to find Zarek kneeling right next to him. He hadn't even heard him come closer. "Better, I think."

He didn't remember much from the last day, but he remembered that it was Zarek who had helped him, so he figured he owed him his thanks. "Thank you for your help yesterday." Speaking the words was harder than he had thought. He didn't like the feeling that he owed something to this man.

"You would have done the same thing." Zarek said smiling. "You still have a slight fever. I will get you some antibiotics so it won't rise again." When he saw the glint of mistrust in Lee's eyes, he went on. "Of course I can wait until Captain Thrace is back."

"She's not a Captain anymore. She left the military." Lee didn't know why he just said that. It wasn't really important anymore if she was in the military or not. But for some reason it still mattered to him.

"So I have been told. Old habits die slowly, I'm afraid." Again Zarek smiled at him.

Lee had always detested that smile from Zarek. His face might be smiling, but his eyes always betrayed his cold and deceitful character, no matter how nice he was acting.

"So, you want to wait with the antibiotics?" Zarek asked.

Lee wasn't willing to show any weaknesses. Being injured was bad enough. Waiting for Kara to agree on his treatment and hold his hand was definitely a weakness, so he slowly nodded and allowed Zarek to give him the antibiotic. He only flinched slightly when Zarek stuck the syringe in his arm. He usually never cared about being stuck with a needle, but his whole body was already hurting and this small prick felt a lot more painful because of that.

"Try to get some sleep, Captain. You need your rest." Zarek smiled when he put the syringe back into the med kit. The empty vial he slid into his pocket.

Lee struggled to stay awake, but suddenly he felt even weaker than before. Talking to Zarek had tired him out more than he had thought. A few moments later he was deep asleep.

XXXXXXX

It took Kara a few minutes to find her husband. Relieved that she could finally talk to him without anyone listening to them, she called out to him. "Sam, wait!"

Sighing, Sam turned around and watched Kara come closer. "What do you want?"

"Why are you acting so cold? Did I do something?" Kara looked at him afraid. Last night everything had been all right between them. They had had a little argument, but she had already forgotten about that. She didn't think that he was still angry about that.

"How about spending the night with another man, Kara? I saw you this morning cuddled together with your _friend_. I'm not an idiot. A blind man can see you have feelings for him." He shouted at her.

"What? That's what this is all about? Sam, he had a fever last night, he was shivering and I ... It's not like I could have given him a blanket or anything. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just leave him alone." Now it was Kara who was shouting. She couldn't believe that Sam was angry at her for helping Lee.

"You didn't have to spend the whole night at his side. I was pretty cold too, in case you care." Sam knew he sounded pathetic, but he couldn't help it. He was afraid to lose Kara and even though she had told him she loved him several times, he had a feeling that her love for Lee Adama was even bigger.

"For frak's sake, I fell asleep. Excuse me, it was a long day. We were both exhausted. Had you been the one hurting, I would have done the same." She glared at him angrily.

Sam let out a deep breath. "I know that. It's just ..." His voice trailed off and he looked helplessly at Kara.

"It's what, Sam?" She asked softly. The sad look in his eyes hadn't gone unnoticed by her.

"You are so close to him. You know him so much longer than me and ..."

"He's my best friend. He has been for years. I can't just shrug that off. But I married you, Sam. You're my husband." She gave him a warm smile and stepped closer to him.

"I'm sorry. I'm being stupid." Smiling back at her, Sam pulled her into an embrace and kissed her. "Well, I guess we should really start looking for that fire wood. And than we still need to come up with a plan to kick some Cylon asses." He said grinning when they pulled away from each other after a while.

"Yeah, let's do that." Uncomfortably Kara looked back to the cave. She had promised Lee she would be right back. But she didn't want to make Sam angry again and if she went back now, she was certain that would happen.

Sam noticed her uneasiness. Pushing back his jealous thoughts, he took her hand. "It's okay, Kara. Go back to him. He needs you more right now than I do."

Grateful Kara looked at him. "Thanks." She said smiling.

XXXXXX

When Kara got back to the cave, she was disappointed to find Lee asleep again. She had hoped he would feel good enough to stay awake for longer periods. She shook him on the arm slightly, but got no reaction. He was already so deep asleep that he didn't even notice.

"He needs his rest. Let him sleep. He's still very weak." Zarek told her.

"Yeah, I guess." Kara replied quietly. While watching Lee in his sleep, she tried to think of a plan to rescue the settlers. What would Lee do? He usually could come up with three different plans within minutes and she just had to put in some out of the box changes. They were the perfect team when it came to combat tactics, in the air and on the ground. But this time it seemed she would have to come up with a plan on her own.

Tbc

A.N.: Special thanks to laurie31 for beta reading this chapter – you have been a tremendous  
help. :-) Thanks to everyone else for reading and please review. ;-)


	3. Chapter 3

"So, what are we going to do now?" Sam asked. After he had returned to the cave, all three of them had sat together to discuss what they should do next. They couldn't hide in that cave forever.

"I think the best way would be to get some explosives. Maybe we can somehow sneak into the camp to get some. Then we plant some bombs at places that are often occupied by Cylons. We just have to do that often enough, eventually they'll understand that they can't enslave humans." Zarek explained his plan.

"Because that worked so well on Sagitarron, right Zarek?" Kara replied, reminding him of the crimes for which he had been convicted.

"I think it sounds like a good idea." Sam put in before Zarek could answer. "We used that tactic on Caprica and it worked. The Cylons left."

"Only to come back at us later." Kara said. "Sam, you don't really believe they left because you blew up some of their bases."

"Well, we did make their life harder with our attacks." Sam replied, offended.

"What is your plan, Captain Thrace?" Zarek asked quietly. Inwardly he was smiling – his plan worked better than he had anticipated.

"We get the radio from Le ... Apollo's viper and try to connect Galactica."

"Galactica?" Sam called out stunned.

Ignoring him for now Kara went on. "They can't be too far away. We get the settlers near the ships and as soon as Galactica shows up, we get them into the ships and leave the planet. Galactica can give us the cover we need to escape."

"That's suicide. Too many things could go wrong. The Cylons could hear our transmission, we could get caught while informing the settlers, one of the settlers could be a Cylon and betray our plan and there is no guarantee that all ships will be able to leave the planet before the Cylons destroy them. And how are we supposed to get Captain Adama down to the ships? He can't walk for himself and once we're near the city we don't have the time to carry him."

"We'll find a way. I know it's risky but it's the only way to get as many people off the planet as possible. And if we use bombs inside the city, innocent people will die, not just Cylons. And we could also get caught stealing the explosives."

"What do you think, Mr. Anders?" Zarek asked the younger man.

"I agree with you." He said to Zarek. "I'm sorry Kara, but I don't think we should rely on the Galactica. They left us behind before, why shouldn't they do it again? We're on our own and if we want to achieve anything, we have to do it ourselves."

"Galactica never left me behind. And the old man would never leave his son. They will come back, I know that." Kara said determinedly. She couldn't understand that Sam was agreeing with Zarek. That man was a terrorist and his plan was nothing more than a terrorist attack.

"I thought Apollo and his father didn't have the best relationship?" Sam asked sarcastically. When he saw the fury well up in Kara's eyes, he held up his hand to stop her from yelling at him. "Okay, why don't we get the radio from the viper. If it stills works and we can contact Galactica, fine, then we'll go with your plan. As long as we don't hear anything, we're going with Zarek's plan. Alright?"

Kara didn't like it, but at least this way there was a chance to go against Zarek's plan. And if the radio wasn't working, they needed a new plan anyway. "Okay, I'll get the radio from the viper."

"I'll come with you." Sam was clearly relieved. Then he saw her uncertain look as she glanced in Apollo's direction. She was more than unwilling to leave him alone again. "I would go with Zarek, but you're the only one of us who knows how to work on a viper." He said sharply.

"I know." Kara sighed, totally unaware of the sharpness in her husband's voice. "Okay, let's go. Don't go near him unless it's urgent." Kara hissed at Zarek.

"Don't worry. I told you before, I don't want him to die." Zarek replied smiling.

Before they left, Kara went to check on Lee once more. He was still asleep. It worried her that he hadn't regained consciousness once since she had come back from her talk with Sam. Gently she shook his arm. She repeated that a few times and finally she got a reaction. His eyes slowly opened and she could see his blue eyes. But instead of being relieved to see him awake once again, she only got more worried. His eyes looked numb and unfocused, as if he wasn't even aware what was going on around him. He had trouble staying awake and after a few moments his eyes fell closed again.

"Lee?" Again she shook him gently.

"Tired ..." He mumbled without opening his eyes again.

"Can we go?" Sam called impatiently. He already stood ready to go in the cave's entrance.

It broke her heart to leave Lee alone. He was so weak. This morning she thought his condition had improved. He had been awake and had talked to her. But now ... She was afraid he wouldn't be alive anymore when she got back.

"Kara." Sam cut into her thoughts again.

"I'm coming." She said quietly after a moment. She squeezed Lee's hand once again and bent down to him. "I'll be back in a few hours. Just keep fighting until then, okay?" She whispered in his ear. Then she gave him a soft kiss on the forehead and got up to leave.

"What was that kiss about?" Sam hissed once they had left the cave behind them. The jealousy was clearly audible in his voice.

"I just wanted him to know that I'm coming back." She replied. His jealousy was starting to annoy her. Her best friend was badly injured and he kept accusing her of having some kind of affair with him. This was ridiculous.

"And you need to kiss him for that?"

"Oh shut up." She snapped at him and quickened her steps until she walked a few feet in front of him.

They didn't speak another word until they reached the viper. Ignoring Sam, Kara started working on the radio immediately. It looked slightly battered, but she hoped that with a little work she would be able to get it working.

"Is there anything I can do?" Sam asked after a while.

"Just watch the surroundings and let me know when you see any Cylons." Kara replied sharply. She was still more than angry with him.

Sam wanted to respond with a smug reply, but stopped himself before the words could leave his mouth. He could partly understand Kara's anger. He really was acting like a jerk. But his feelings weren't totally unfounded. Kara hadn't spoken to Lee for several months. She had told him they had had some ugly fight and that she would never talk to him again. Well, that only lasted until she saw him crashing down on the planet. Now she was hovering over him like he was the most important person in her life. And that made him angry. He was supposed to be that person, he was her husband. And yet every time Lee Adama showed up – on the Galactica or in New Caprica City or now here – she had only eyes for him. But if he kept showing her his jealousy, he would lose her. Kara wasn't a woman who would let herself being stopped from doing what she wanted. And right now she wanted to protect her friend. So he would have to let her.

"Kara, I'm sorry. I'm acting like a jerk. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"You already said that this morning. You said you understand that I have to take care of Lee because he's injured. And yet you still keep accusing me." Kara replied sharply. She didn't look up and kept concentrating on the radio.

"I'm just afraid to lose you." Sam whispered.

Finally Kara looked up. "You're not going to lose me, Sam. I love you. That's why I married you, remember?"

"I just keep asking myself ... if Lee had told you he loved you, would you have still married me? And if he'd tell you now, would you stay with me?"

"You should stop asking yourself questions, Sam. It's not healthy." Kara said as she went back to work on the radio.

"That's not an answer."

Sighing Kara looked up again. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you, Sam. Lee is special to me, yes. He's my best friend, I've known him for years. And even though we haven't talked much lately, he's still important to me. But I didn't marry him. I married you. I went back to Caprica for you. I love you." And Lee doesn't want me anyway, she thought silently.

Sam nodded slowly. "So, can I help you somehow with that?"

"No, I'm almost done here. With some luck the battery will last long enough for us to contact Galactica."

"If it still works." Sam replied doubtfully, looking at the battered radio.

"Don't be such a pessimist, that's usually my job. Come on, let's go back."

XXXXXXX

When they returned to the cave, Kara noticed that Lee was wearing one of the sweatshirts she and Sam had brought with them in their rucksacks. Surprised she looked at Zarek.

"I thought he would be more comfortable like this. And it keeps him warm." Zarek explained.

"Thanks." Kara said, unsure what to think about that. Every time Tom Zarek did something, she suspected some evil plan behind it. But she couldn't see anything evil in giving Lee a sweatshirt to keep him warm. "Has he woken up?"

"No, sorry."

Kara nodded slowly and sat down beside Lee. Even though he couldn't help her to get the radio working again, having him near her seemed to make it easier.

Sam had sat down next to Zarek. "Any idea how we can get into the City without the Cylons catching us?"

"We should watch their patrols for a few nights and than make a plan how to avoid them best. When we know where and how often they patrol along the fence, we sneak in. And the sooner the better, I don't want to waste too much time."

"Sounds good."

"Okay. So, who's going? Someone has to stay here to watch Captain Adama." Zarek said.

"Yeah, him. I don't think Kara is willing to leave him alone again. She's the most experienced in combat, but I believe it will be you and me." Sam replied, while he shot a quick glance to Kara and Apollo.

"I don't have a problem with that. It's been a while since I had to sneak around the enemy, but I don't think I forgot how to do it." Zarek chuckled.

Sam gave him a quick smile before he turned his attention back on Kara. She was intently working on the radio, but he didn't miss the short glances she threw in Lee Adama's direction every once in a while. Why did this idiot have to survive that crash? With the injuries he had, he didn't think he would survive until they could get help. He just hoped it wouldn't take too long. The longer Kara got used to having him around again – even only half-conscious – the harder it would be for her to lose him.

"Frak!" Kara called out after a while.

What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"I can't get it to work. I don't know what's wrong with this stupid thing. I can't see any heavy damage, just some scratches."

"Well, it was a pretty heavy crash." Sam pointed out. Inwardly he was glad. If the radio didn't work, they didn't have to waste any time waiting for the Galactica. "Zarek and I will go back to the City tonight, watching the patrols. This way we might find a way to get in."

"Why are you going with Zarek?" Kara asked surprised. She had thought that Sam would ask her first if he planned something like this.

"I figured you didn't want to leave the Captain alone again." Sam replied, trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

"Oh ... If you need me, I could come with you." Kara suddenly felt torn apart between her wish to stay with Lee and helping Sam.

"I think we can manage on our own."

"Okay." Kara was relieved that Sam had taken that decision for her. She usually didn't like it when other people made her decisions, but this time she was grateful for it.

At sunset Sam and Zarek went down to the City, while Kara stayed with Lee. Anxiously she waited for any sign of him waking up. And really, a few hours after Sam and Zarek had left, he began to stir.

"Lee?" She asked hopefully.

When he slowly opened his eyes, they still looked numb, but a lot more focused than the last time.

"Hey, do you think you could stay awake for some time? You should eat something."

"I can try." He replied weakly after a moment.

Carefully Kara helped him sit up. He only winced slightly, which actually surprised her. She had thought he would be in more pain, but she took that as a good sign. She heated some soup over the still-burning fire and gave him some water to drink.

His hand shook slightly as he tried to hold the glass, so she helped him. When he had enough, she put the glass down.

"Could you try not to sleep so much tomorrow? You got me worried a bit." She asked, only half joking.

"How long did I sleep?" Lee asked confused.

"The whole day. It's already night again."

"Oh ..."

"Well, you need your rest. But it would be nice to see your eyes open once in a while." Kara said, giving him a warm smile.

"I'll do my best." Lee replied smiling. "The fever is down right? The meds seem to be working."

"Yeah, fortunately." Kara was surprised he even remembered getting the antibiotics. He had been unconscious when Zarek had injected him.

"What are you working on?" Lee asked, pointing at the radio.

"I got the radio from your viper. I tried to contact Galactica, but it's broken. Any ideas?" She asked teasingly.

"I'm afraid I'm too tired to think clearly. My whole head feels kinda fuzzy."

"Well, you hit your head pretty hard. Maybe you have a concussion. Though you shouldn't sleep so long then. I better wake you every two hours."

"Good thing you thought about that so soon." Lee replied yawning.

"It's not like I didn't try to wake you ... Try to stay awake at least until the soup is ready, okay? You really have to eat something."

"I'll try."

"Promise!" Kara said determinedly.

"I can't promise that."

"You can promise me everything if you only try hard enough. You told me that once."

"I did? Alright, I promise." Lee said sighing, but with a small smile on his lips. He had missed that determination from Kara. Actually he had missed everything about her since she went planetside. "Tell me something to keep me awake."

"What do you want to hear?"

"Anything. About your life down here." He had always tried to imagine what her life had become like on the planet and now he was eager to learn if he had come at least close.

"Well, it's hard and uncomfortable." Kara laughed. "We don't have warm water, so no hot showers in the morning. During the day, I helped out wherever help was needed, building up new tents, some farming. Pres ... I mean Laura Roslin asked me a few times to help her out in the school, but you know me. I'm not really good with kids. Sam and his friends built a pyramid court and we played sometimes. Unfortunately he isn't much of a runner, so most of the times I took my jogs alone. I missed you there." She said quietly. "I always imagined that you ran beside me. I would tell you about my plans for the day and you would give me some tips to make it better. Pretty stupid, huh?" She laughed uncomfortably.

"Not really." Lee said smiling. "I actually did the same thing. When I had a problem with the flight schedule or something, I always thought about what you would say about it. It helped. Most of the times." He chuckled.

"We really are crazy, aren't we?"

"Completely." Lee replied grinning. "What about the soup?" He didn't think he could stay awake much longer.

"Huh? Oh right." Kara had enjoyed talking to Lee again so much that she had completely forgotten about that. "It should be warm enough." She held the plate of soup for him and he tried to eat with the spoon, but he was weaker than he thought. His hand was shaking so much that he spilled most of the soup.

"I really have to do everything for you, do I?" Kara said as she took the spoon from him and started feeding him. She could see he felt uncomfortable about it. She would feel the same way. "You're enjoying this, don't you?" She asked teasingly.

"Oh yeah, it's like a dream come true." Lee replied cynically.

"Well, don't get used to it. As soon as you're up to it, this whole nursing thing is over."

"So, you're nursing me? Good to know, I was afraid you were trying to poison me."

"Ha, ha. It's not my fault the soup tastes like garbage. I just picked the can from the kitchen and packed it in the bag."

"Pick more carefully the next time." Lee said. Kara noticed how shaky his voice had started to sound and that he was breathing more heavily. The talking had tired him out quickly.

"Stop talking and eat." She ordered him. He stayed quiet which was enough proof for Kara for how exhausted he must be. As soon as he had finished the soup, he lay down again and closed his eyes. He fell asleep immediately.

Tbc

**A.N.: Sorry it took me so long to update. I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for still reading this story. Lin, feel free to give Lee a hug any time you want ;-) Thank you, Laurie, for beta reading this chapter. :-)**


	4. Chapter 4

For three days Sam and Zarek had watched the City and the patroling Cylons. They had come up with a plan to avoid the patrols and sneak into the city. They were going to try and get in this night. And this time Kara wasn't going to stay behind. She still didn't agree with Zarek's plan to use explosives within the City, but she hoped to be able to contact some of her friends or at least see if they were still alive. Maybe she could even find Cottle to get help for Lee and if she was really lucky she would stumble across a working radio to contact Galactica.

Zarek had agreed quickly to stay behind this time. Inwardly he was glad that he didn't had to sneak into the City. He hated to admit it, but he was starting to feel old. His whole body was hurting from sleeping on the ground of the cave and sneaking around in the dark at night. He didn't really feel up to this mission. He was glad that Kara had insisted on going to the City. As Anders wouldn't let her go alone, he had no other choice but to stay in the cave with Apollo. Though it hurt to admit that he was getting too old for this kind of thing.

He watched silently as Kara and Anders got ready to leave. Anders – or Sam, they had become friends over the last few days and called each other with their first names now – waited impatiently at the entrance while his wife said goodby to Apollo. It was time they left. He hadn't had a chance all day to give Apollo the morpha injection and he had been awake now for quite a while. He was amazed how well his plan was working though. As Apollo was mostly asleep all the time thanks to the morpha injections, Kara Thrace didn't waste much time discussing any new plans to free the settlers as she was too worried about him. So far they had only his plan – stealing explosives from the City and attack the Cylons until they left the planet ... or until the last Cylon was dead. He really didn't care what would happen first, as long as they won in the end. He never had that success in his last fight on Sagitarron. After his imprisonment the resistance he had built up had ended fairly quicky. He still wondered what would have happened to his people had he never been caught. Would they have been strong enough to win and overthrow the government in the end? Well, he would never get an answer to that question ... But now he had a new chance and this time he would fight until the end.

Finally Kara and Sam left the cave. Now all Zarek had to do was wait until the good Captain was asleep, then he could give him another injection. It was a good thing that he had found the sweater in Sam's bag – this way the needle marks stayed hidden. Zarek smiled and waited for Apollo to fall back asleep.

XXXXXXX

Anxiously Kara watched the Cylon patrol walk by. She and Sam had managed to get into the City. Now they only had to get to the tent where the explosives had been when they had left the City. They hoped they would still be there. When the Cylons were gone, Sam started moving towards the tent, which was standing nearby.

"Sam, wait." Kara whispered, holding him on his arm.

"What is it?" Sam asked quietly. Nervously he looked around for Cylons.

"You get the explosives. I'll go to the main tent, maybe the radio is still there."

"What?" Sam stared at her in disbelief. This hadn't been their plan. He had thought she had given up her idea of contacting Galactica.

"I have to try, Sam. I'll never get the other one to work. I'll meet you back here. Be careful." She gave him a quick kiss and before Sam could say anything else, she had disappeared in the dark.

Cursing Sam watched the empty spot where Kara had stood only seconds agao. Then he started moving towards the tent again.

XXXXXXX

After a few minutes Kara had reached the main tent. She hadn't encountered any more Cylons, now she only hoped that her luck wouldn't run out and she would stumple into a whole group of Cylons within in the tent. When she glanced through the door, the tent looked empty. Quietly Kara stepped in. Once the tent was closed behind her again, she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head and then she was surrounded by darkness.

XXXXXXX

Groaning Kara opened her eyes and stared directly into more than familiar eyes. "Chief?" She whispered in astonishment.

"I'm sorry, Starbuck. We heard someone sneaking around the tent. And when you stepped in, I knocked you out. I didn't know it was you." Galen Tyrol looked at her apologetically. Then he held out his hand to help her up. She accepted gratefully.

"Who is we?" Kara asked. But when she looked around the room, she didn't need Tyrol to answer. Sitting around a table were Roslin, Cally, Cottle and Tigh.

"Late as always, Starbuck." Tigh grumbled. But the look of relief in his eyes betrayed his words.

"Well ..." Kara shrugged and looked grinning at everyone. "It's frakking great to see you all alive."

"You too, Captain." Roslin said smiling. "Thank the gods you're all right."

"I'm not a Captain anymore, Madam President." Kara replied smiling.

"And I'm not a President any longer." Roslin returned her smile.

"Right. Old habits die hard, I guess." Even after one year she still couldn't get used to the idea that Roslin was only a school teacher again and Baltar was now their President. In her eyes, Roslin would forever take that position. It seemed Roslin felt the same way when it came to her military history. Over the past year they had adressed each other over and over again with their former titles. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"Planning. We're going to build up a resistance. When Galactica comes back, we have to be ready." Tyrol replied.

"So you also think she will come back." Kara said gladly. Finally she wasn't the only one anymore thinking that the old man would come back. Even Lee had his doubts. "Well, what's the plan?"

"Actually, we just got started." Cally admitted.

"Okay ... Do you have a working radio?" Kara asked, looking around the room.

"The Cylons have confiscated every radio. The only ones still working are on the raptors, but they are guarded. We managed to sneak into one of them yesterday, but they are jamming our transmissions, so it's useless." Tyrol told her.

"Did you come here alone?" Cally asked.

"No, I'm here with Sam. He's getting some explosives."

"Good, we're going to need any ammunition we can get." Tigh said. "Once Galactica comes back ..."

"I'm afraid Sam isn't going to wait that long. He and Zarek came up with the plan to ..."

"Zarek?" Roslin cut in sharply.

"Yes, we kinda ran into him during the first night. Lee ... I mean Apollo is with us too."

"Apollo? I didn't know he was on the planet." Tigh called out surprised.

"He wasn't. He was on CAP when the Cylons attacked and got shot down. He's hurt really bad." Kara added, looking intently at Cottle now.

"How bad?" Cottle asked immediately.

"I'm not sure. He's got some broken ribs, cuts and bruises, a deep leg wound. He might have hurt his head or have internal injuries. He's mostly asleep all the time."

Cottle thought about her words. "Is there any way I could check on him?"

"You would have to come with us. He's in the mountains. We're hiding in one of the caves." Kara looked hopefully at Cottle. If he would come with them, surely Lee would be okay again soon.

"Can you guarantee me that I can get back here? I have patients to look after and babies to deliver." He pointed at Cally who was eight months pregnant.

"We got in once, we'll be able to do it again."

"Okay, let's go then." Cottle said determinedly.

"I'll still have to get a radio." Kara said.

"We'll take care of that. When you bring the Doc back tomorrow night, we might have something for you." Tyrol told her.

"Okay, I see you all tomorrow then. Be careful."

"You too, Starbuck. And marek sure to bring the Doc back. We can hide his absence for one day, but not longer. And my wife still needs him." Tyrol looked down at Cally.

"Don't worry. I'll get him back on time." Kara assured him.

"_He_ is still waiting to go." Cottle said impatiently. He didn't like other people talking about him while he was still in the room. He felt like one of his patients – and it wasn't a good feeling.

"Let's go Doc."

XXXXXXX

Sam already waited impatiently in their hiding spot where Kara had left him.

"Sorry, it took a while." Kara said quietly. "You got everything?"

"Yes. What is he doing here?" Sam asked, pointing at Cottle. "I thought you were going to get a radio."

"_He_ is going to check on his patient. And _he_ doesn't want to waste any more time. Can we go now?" Cottle asked impatiently. This talking about him as if he wasn't there was starting to become a habit.

"Follow me, Doc." Kara said grinning. Without waiting for Sam, she started moving out of the City.

XXXXXXX

Two hours later the three arrived back in the cave. Seeing Lee lying on the floor, Cottle went straight to him. Kara watched anxiously as he checked Lee's vitals and looked over the injuries.

"Captain Adama?" As Kara had so many times the last few days, Cottle shook Lee on his arm, trying to wake him up. He repeated that several times until he got a reaction. Lee's eyes fluttered open and he looked confused at Cottle.

"Doc?" He whispered.

Cottle just needed one look in Lee's eyes to get an idea why he was unconciouss so often. The numb look in Lee's eyes spoke for itself. "Did you give him any medication? Morpha?"

"No, we wanted to wait until the pain ... got worse. And he's asleep most of the time anyway. There was no need to." Kara explained.

"You sure you didn't give him anything?" Cottle asked again, looking intently at the three younger people. He noticed the nervous expression on Zarek's face, even though he was trying to hide it.

"We gave him antibiotics once. He had a fever. But that was days ago." Kara replied, wondering why Cottle was insisting on this.

Determinedly Cottle pulled up both sleeves of Lee's shirt, revealing several needle marks on his left arm. He cocked an eyebrow at Kara – he didn't need to say anything else.

"What ...?" Surprised Kara stared at Lee's arms. Then it hit her – Zarek.He had given the sweater to Lee. She had known there was something evil behind that. And when Lee thought that Zarek had given him antibiotics ..."You frakking bastard!"

Kara threw herself at Zarek, punching him hard. "You frakking son of a ..."

"Kara, stop it!" Sam tried to pull her away from Zarek. "Kara! I'm sure Tom was just ..."

"Tom?" Kara finally let go of Zarek and stared at Sam. "You're on the first name basis with a terrorist now? He tried to kill him!"

"I did not try to kill him!" Zarek stated determinedly. A second later he wished he had stayed quiet as Kara started punching him again.

With some effort, Sam managed to pull her away from Zarek.

"Let go of me!" Kara yelled at him.

"Beating him up won't do anyone any good." Sam tried to calm her.

"It would do me good. I would definitly feel better afterwards!" Kara snapped. She pulled free of Sam's arm and was just about to threw herself on Zarek again, when Cottle's sharp voice stopped her.

"Captain!"

She stopped in her tracks and looked at him surprised.

"We still need him able to talk. What did you give Captain Adama? Morpha?"

"Yes. But not to kill him!" Zarek repeated quickly. "He was in pain and ..."

"You told me yourself we should save the morpha, no matter how much pain he is in." Kara cut in furiously.

"I ... I changed my mind. He woke up when you were gone with Sam and when I saw how much pain he was in ..."

"You are a frakking liar!" Kara yelled. She tried to go after him again, but Sam pulled her back before she reached Zarek.

"How many injections?" Cottle asked quietly.

"I'm not sure. I injected him everytime she was asleep or out of the cave. Enough so that he was asleep most of the time." Zarek watched Kara intently, ready to retreat should she go after him again.

"Did you know?" Kara asked angry. She had pulled out of Sam's grasp and stared at him furiosly.

"What? No! How can you think that?" Sam asked offended.

"Well, you two seem so close lately. You even call him Tom!"

"Kara ..."

"Maybe you two could discuss this outside!" Cottle interrupted them sharply. "Mr. Zarek, care to tell me the real reason why you gave him the morpha?"

Zarek stayed quiet for a moment. He could hardly tell them the real reason, Kara would kill him immediatly. But he would have to come up with something quickly. "She was hovering over him all the time. I ... We needed her to think clearly. She couldn't do that when all she did was talk to him." He pointed at Apollo. He knew this wasn't a very good explanation and Kara looked like she would kill him right away, but she was still holding herself back. He hoped that Sam would back him up on that one. And it was definitly better than his real reason – making her worry about Apollo, so she wouldn't fight his plan and at the same time making Sam jealous enough so he would agree to everything he said.

"You frakking son of a ..."

"Kara, he's right." Sam interrupted her.

"What?" Kara stared at him in disbelief.

"When he's awake, he's all that matters to you. It's like you're his private nurse or something. You wouldn't even look at one of us, much less think of a plan to get us out of here."

"I did come up with a plan. You just liked his better." She spat at him. Then she shook her head. She couldn't believe that her husband was siding with Tom Zarek. "Did it hurt him?" She asked Cottle.

"It certainly didn't help. He's weak. I assume he hasn't been able to eat or drink much during the times he was awake."

"No." Kara replied. She had already worried about that too.

"When was his last injection?" Cottle asked Zarek.

"About two hours ago."

"And before that?"

"Right after they left. About eight hours ago."

"Okay, he'll probably won't wake up then for the next few hours. Even if you didn't intend to kill him, you were on your best way to do so, Mr. Zarek. Captain, I want you to have a meal prepared for him when he wakes up. Soup, nothing else. And he needs to drink. A lot."

"Sure." Kara nodded. She would make sure Lee got everything he needed once he woke up. She just hoped it wouldn't take too long.

"Alright. I'll go to sleep then. Wake me when he wakes up. And try not to kill anyone." With that said, Cottle picked up one of the blankets lying on the floor and lay down near the fire. He closed his eyes immediately and a few minutes later he was quietly snoring.

"Kara ..." Sam tried again.

"Don't ... talk to me!" Kara glared at him furiously. "Neither of you will go near him again. If I catch you close to him, I'll shoot first and ask questions later."

Neither Sam nor Zarek doubted that she would go through with it, so they both sat down as far away from Apollo as possible.

Kara sat down right next to Lee. She was determined not to leave his side again until he woke up.

Tbc.

**A.N.: Thanks a lot to Laurie for beta reading this. :) I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading and for your reviews. I always look forward to them. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Several hours after Kara had returned to the cave with Cottle, Lee finally showed signs of waking up again.

"Hey Captain, time to wake up." She said, squeezing his hand. She let out a relieved breath when Lee's eyes fluttered open and he gave her a small smile.

"Morning."

"Good Morning." Kara returned the smile. She could still see a slight numbness in his eyes, but this time she knew it would fade as soon as all traces of the morpha had left his system. "Hungry?" She asked, already warming up the soup.

"Not really." Lee yawned.

"Hey, you're not falling asleep again. And I'm not heating this soup again. Now get up."

Groaning, Lee followed her orders and tried to pull himself into a sitting position. He winced when he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

"Good." Kara said dryly when she saw the pain reflect on Lee's face.

"Good?" Lee stared at her in disbelief. He knew they hadn't gotten along very well the last few months, but now she was finding pleasure in his pain?

"The morpha isn't working anymore." Kara explained. She wasn't sure how she should tell him what Zarek did to him. What she let him do because she didn't pay enough attention.

"Just give me another shot." Lee groaned, holding his chest. His whole body hurt like hell.

"Sorry, can't do that."

"Did we run out of it?"

"No, there's still some left, but ..." Her voice trailed off.

"But?" Lee sensed that something wasn't right.

"Lee, Zarek gave you morpha injections, more than you actually needed. That's why you've been asleep all this time. He wanted ..." Kara paused and let out another breath. "Oh frak, who knew what he really wanted. He's a frakking bastard and he's lucky to be still alive."

"Was he trying to ... you know, kill me?" Lee asked hesitantly after a moment. Zarek had tried to kill him before, it wouldn't be surprising if he'd try again. Lee just didn't understand what he was trying to gain from it this time.

"No, he ... he said he didn't want to harm you. He thought ... this is stupid. He thought I wasn't concentrating enough when you were awake." Kara looked uncomfortably down at her hands. "Of course that's ridiculous."

"Of course." Lee said. Why wouldn't Kara be able to concentrate if he was awake? His presence had never made much of a difference to her.

"Here, the soup is ready." Kara handed him the cup she had filled the soup in. She was pleased to see that his hands weren't shaking anymore, even though he still appeared weak.

"It tastes awful." Lee complained.

"I know." Kara laughed. For a while she watched Lee slowly eating until she remembered Cottle's orders. "I better wake the Doc."

"Cottle's here?" Lee asked surprised, searching the cave with his eyes until he found him sleeping near the fire. "What else did I miss?"

"Not much more." Kara chuckled. Then she quickly told him about their "visit" to the city.

"Good to know they're all right." Lee said when Kara had finished.

"Yeah ... and as soon as Tyrol gets us a radio, we can contact Galactica. Your father will be pleased to now you're still alive."

Lee didn't reply. He put the cup on the floor and looked sadly at his hands. He wasn't even sure if Galactica was still out there. His father could be dead by now and he would never know.

Kara saw the sadness in his eyes and she knew immediately what he was thinking. The same thoughts had crossed her mind too a few times, but she refused to accept the possibility that Galactica might be gone.

"I'll get Cottle now." She said quickly and got up.

XXXXXXX

"Well, the good news is you don't have any internal bleeding." Cottle said when he had finished checking Lee over.

"Are you sure?" Kara asked worried.

"If he had, he'd be dead by now. So yeah, I'm sure." Cottle replied dryly.

"Oh ..."

"Good to know. So, am I okay?" Lee asked.

Cottle just gave him the look. "Do you feel okay?"

"Well ..."

"Don't answer. You will rest here as long as possible. The only thing you're allowed is getting away from the Cylons should they find you here. Captain Thrace, I expect you will make sure he doesn't get up."

"You bet I will." Kara said grinning.

Lee just rolled his eyes. He hated sitting back when he should help getting the settlers from this planet. Though he had to admit, he wasn't really feeling too good at the moment.

"So, how about breakfast?" Cottle asked.

By now both Sam and Zarek had woken up too. They had listened silently to the conversation between Cottle, Kara and Lee. Sam was relieved that Apollo wasn't dying from the injections. Kara would have never forgiven him, even though he had had nothing to do with it. He had hoped that she wouldn't be angry with him anymore, but her cold stare told him otherwise.

"I'll take care of that." He said, responding to Cottle's question. He exchanged a look with Zarek and then silently began preparing breakfast.

XXXXXXX

Again and again Tyrol had walked by the raptors, waiting for a chance to sneak into one of them again and get the radio he had promised Starbuck. But every time there had been a Cylon patrol walking by and he hadn't dared to hang around too long to wait for them to disappear again.

Now he was sitting in his tent, frustrated that he hadn't gotten a radio yet. There had to be a way. They had gotten in once, they could do it again.

"They won't let you near the raptors again."

Startled Tyrol jumped out of his chair. Angry he looked at the woman standing at the entrance to his tent.

"What do you want?" He hissed.

"I'm here to help you, Galen." Sharon said.

"You want to help me? Then get your friends and leave this planet."

"I wish it would be that easy. But ... they're not listening to me anymore. I had some influence for some time. I thought we had changed their minds. That it was best to let you live. I was wrong. I'm sorry." Sharon looked sadly at the man she still loved more than anything.

"Sorry? I don't want your sorry. Get out of here. I don't want to talk to you." Tyrol told himself that this wasn't his Sharon. She was just another copy. They had probably sent her to get information from him. They must have figured out by now that the humans wouldn't just surrender without a fight.

"It's me, you know. I'm your Sharon."

"There never was a Sharon. Just a machine pretending to be Sharon Valerii." Tyrol swallowed. Could it really be her? Had she been resurrected and was now really standing before him?

"Well, I am that machine. I just have another body. My old one got shot, remember?" Sharon said bitter. She regretted her words immediately. She hadn't meant to argue with Galen. She really just wanted to help him.

"Well, you took the first shot. You got what you deserved." Tyrol couldn't look at Sharon as he spoke those words. He didn't mean them. At the time he would have given his life to get Sharon back, even though he had known she was a Cylon. He had hated Cally at the time. He hadn't thought it was possible for him to forgive her, even fall in love with her.

"Yeah, I guess I did. Here." Sharon handed him a bag.

"What's that?" Tyrol asked suspiciously. He wasn't willing to trust another Cylon.

"A radio. That's what you were looking for, right?"

Stunned, Tyrol looked back and forth from Sharon to the bag in her hands. "How do you know?" He whispered.

"I saw Starbuck last night. I saw her going into the main tent and I heard what you talked about. I never stopped loving you, Galen. I know ... I know you don't love me anymore and that's okay. I understand. You have Cally now. You're going to be a father. I'm happy for you. You deserve all that." With a sad smile she looked at him. "That's why I am going to betray my race. I never was really a part of them. I couldn't be because I never stopped loving you. I know that doesn't make me human but it makes me feel more human than cylon. I want your child to be born in freedom."

"Why should I believe you? Why should I believe that you want me to be happy with the woman who shot you?"

"Because that's what love is all about, isn't it? You protected me all the time we were on Galactica even though you knew something was wrong with me. You did it because you loved me. Now it's my turn to protect you. Take the radio. It's working. Tell Starbuck to go as far up in the mountains as possible. It should work then. I don't know where Galactica is, but if she's not too far away, than Starbuck should be able to reach her. The radio has a long distance transponder. It shouldn't be a problem." Sharon didn't wait any longer for Tyrol to take the bag from her. She put it on the nearest table and left the tent. She couldn't stay any longer. There had been a time when he had believed everything she told him. He had never questioned her. To see this mistrust in his eyes hurt more than she ever thought was possible.

When Sharon stepped out of the tent, she practically ran into Cally. She froze immediately, memories of their last encounter rushing through her mind. She remembered how Cally had suddenly stood before her, pointing a gun at her and without hesitation shooting her. She remembered Galen's arms holding her tightly, his whispered words and the sudden awakening on the Cylon Homeworld in one of the resurrection tanks, surrounded by her so called family. Cally had been a friend for her all those years on the Galactica, now there was nothing left but hate. How could Galen have married her? Her murderer?

Cally just stared at Sharon, not saying anything. She had listened to the conversation between her and Galen and she had a hard time understanding how he could have just let her in to their home. She still felt nothing but hate for this woman. She had always thought she would feel regret, the urge to apologize. After all, she had asked Galen to forgive her for what she had done. Shouldn't she ask the same from Sharon? But the memory of what this woman, no this machine had done to her husband, how much pain she had put him through, allowed no such feelings. She had always asked herself if she had made the right choice. She had shot a woman who had been her friend for a long time in cold blood. Seeing Sharon, the Cylon, standing now directly in front of her, erased all doubts weather she did the right thing or not. She was a machine, a toaster. She and her people had betrayed them and if she ever had the chance, she would do it again.

They both kept staring at each other for another moment, than Sharon brushed passed her and walked away. Cally watched her disappearing behind a tent before she stepped inside her home. She saw her husband standing in front of the table, staring at the bag.

"Do you trust her?" Cally asked quietly.

Surprised Tyrol looked up. He hadn't noticed his wife stepping in. "You heard us?"

Cally nodded silently.

"Yes, I do. I trust her." He didn't know why he had said that. A second ago he had asked himself the same question and he hadn't had an answer. But speaking the words out loud had made it clear for him. Yes, he did trust her. He had seen into her eyes and it were the same eyes that had told him her love so long ago. "I trust her."

"Then let's give Starbuck the radio. And let's pray that this isn't some Cylon trap."

Nodding Tyrol opened the bag. There really was a radio in it. He would check it through thoroughly before he would pass it on to Starbuck. He trusted Sharon, but he wasn't going to ask anyone else to put their trust in her. He looked back to his wife, his eyes wandering over her body until they rested on her belly. He would be a father in a few weeks. The day he had married Cally he had promised himself that he would do anything to protect his family. He just hoped he wasn't making a mistake right now.

Tbc

**A.N.: Thanks to Laurie for beta reading this chapter. And thanks to everyone else for the great reviews. I hope you like this chapter too. **


	6. Chapter 6

"We can't wait any longer. It's your call, Doc. You wanna go back in that rain or do you want to stay another day in our lovely cave?" Kara looked questioningly at Cottle. It had been raining all day and the temperature had fallen, so now it was freezing cold even right next to the fire. Neither of them looked forward to going out there, but they had promised Cottle to get him back to the city. And Tyrol was also waiting for them, hopefully with a working radio so that they could finally contact Galactica.

"As much as I like it here, let's go. I have patients waiting and I can't risk staying away for one more day. And I have seen more than enough of your little drama up here."

Kara shot him an annoyed look. She wouldn't call their situation drama. Zarek had tried to kill Lee or had at least made his condition worse. Her husband was suddenly best friends with a terrorist. And he was jealous of her best friend. That wasn't drama, that was a nightmare. Though when she thought about it, it did sound a little bit like drama. "Well, let's go then." She muttered.

Sighing Zarek got up. He had hoped that Cottle, who was a lot older than himself, would rather stay here than going out in that rain. As Thrace had refused to let him alone with Apollo and Sam had insisted that she didn't go alone, he had to accompany them out there. He didn't really look forward to it. Kara Thrace was still furious at him and he thought her very well capable of throwing him off some rock on their way back. And it was raining. They would be soaked to the skin within minutes. And it was already cold in here, he didn't want to imagine how cold it would be out there. He threw a last glance at the warming fire before he followed Thrace and Cottle outside.

XXXXXX

Trembling, Tyrol waited for Starbuck and Cottle. It was frakking cold and he was soaked to the skin. He was hidden behind some bushes under a tree and he had hoped that the tree would protect him from the rain. It didn't. Tyrol checked his watch for the hundredth time. He had waited for almost an hour. He was worried that they might have been caught. If that was the case, he couldn't risk waiting much longer. If one of them would let it slip that they were supposed to meet him here …

"Hey Chief."

Relieved Tyrol turned around and saw Starbuck, Cottle and – to his surprise – Zarek appearing behind the bushes. "What took you so long?" He whispered.

"We had hoped the rain would stop. It's not fun getting down here in that rain." Kara replied. "So, we brought your Doc back. You got me a radio?" She grinned.

This time it was Cottle throwing her an annoyed glare.

"Yes, I got one." Tyrol replied before Cottle could say anything. He threw an uncomfortable look at the bag in his hands before he gave it to Kara.

"Great. Were there any problems getting it?" She asked.

"Uh no, uhm …" Tyrol stammered. He wasn't sure if he should tell them where he got the radio. He didn't really know how Starbuck stood with Sharon. She had every reason to hate her, just like everyone else. But then again … this was Starbuck. She had brought the other Sharon back from Caprica, so she had to trust her to some point. "I got it from Sharon."

"What?" Kara looked at him surprised. "Frak Chief, how can you trust a Cylon after all this? They're probably just waiting for us right now."

"No. Captain … I trust her. It's really her. My …. our Sharon. She … She really wants to help us. And I trust her. You can take the radio or leave it. It's your choice."

Kara thought about his words for a moment. "Couldn't you get another one?"

"We can't even get anywhere near the raptors or any others ships anymore. No chance."

"Frak! Okay, I take it. But if this is a trap then …" She didn't finish her sentence. If this was a trap, then there really wasn't anything she could do to him. She would be dead.

"Sharon said that the Cylons are jamming any transmissions, but if you go high enough in the mountains, that shouldn't be a problem."

"Okay, thanks Chief." She smiled at him. Despite the fact that he had trusted a Cylon, she was glad he got them a radio. Then she turned to Zarek and her smile disappeared. "Let's get back. This weather isn't going to get any better."

"Take care." Tyrol said.

"You too." Kara hesitated a moment, than she gave him a quick hug. Without saying anything else, she turned around and left. Zarek followed her quickly.

XXXXXXX

"So we trust Cylons now?" Zarek asked when they were far enough away from the City.

"We trusted you ... to a certain degree. Trusting a Cylon is nothing compared to that." Kara replied smugly. She tried not to think about what trusting Zarek had almost cost her. She could have lost Lee. She still wasn't convinced that Zarek wouldn't have killed him with those injections if it had given him an opportunity. She just hoped that trusting Sharon wouldn't come back to bite them either.

XXXXXX

When Kara stepped into the cave, her hands felt like dead. She was wet and trembling all over from the cold. She quickly walked to the fire to warm up again.

"Here, take this." Sam said as he put a blanket around her. "I also made some coffee. I figured you could use some when you got back."

"Thanks." Kara replied as she took the cup of coffee from him. She could hardly hold it as her fingers were stiff from the cold. "Hmm, this is good. I don't think I'll ever get real warm again."

"You should get out of the wet clothes."

"I will once I get feeling in my hands again."

"I could help you with that." Anders said, giving her a small smile.

Hesitantly Kara looked around the cave. Zarek had retreated further inside the back, where he had started another fire. Then her eyes fell on Lee. He was sleeping only a few feet away. When she looked back at her husband, he looked expectantly at her. "Okay, thanks."

Slowly Sam began to pull of her clothes. Every time his hands touched her skin, it sent shivers through her body. She closed her eyes and for a few minutes she allowed herself to forget everything that happened the last few days and just enjoy her husband taking care of her.

When she was wearing warm and dry clothes again and wrapped in a blanket, she looked at Sam. "That doesn't mean I'm not angry with you anymore."

"I know it takes a lot more than that to make you forgive anything." He cleared his throat. "But I didn't do anything wrong this time, Kara. I didn't know Tom gave him the morpha. If I did, I would have put a stop to it immediately."

"You're still calling him Tom." Kara insisted.

"So basically you're mad at me because I'm calling someone by his first name." He cocked an eyebrow at her.

Kara let out a frustrated sigh. "I know that sounds ridiculous if you say it like this. But he's a terrorist, Sam. He killed people. He tried to get Lee killed, not just here …"

"He says he wasn't trying to kill him." Sam cut in.

"Don't defend him!" Kara glared at him. "He already tried it before on Kobol. And on the Astral Queen when he took all the hostages, he could have easily killed him too."

"But he didn't. Kara, I don't know what happened on Kobol or the Astral Queen. I wasn't there. When I met him for the first time, he was a member of the Quorum. A respected member and a confident of the president of the colonies. People make mistakes in their lives. Sometimes you just have to look past them. He changed."

"He'll never change."

"That's your opinion. It doesn't necessarily have to be mine. So, can we please forget about it and move on? I don't like us fighting."

"Neither do I." Kara sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll look pass that whole "My husband is friends with a known terrorist" thing. But then you have to accept my friendship with Lee too."

Anders let out a small laugh. "All right. I'm fine with Lee and you're fine with Tom."

"I'll never be fine with him. But I won't hold it against you when you are."

"So, are we okay?"

"Yes, we are."

Tbc

**A.N.: Thanks to Laurie for beta reading. :) Thanks for all the kind reviews. I hope you like this chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

When Kara opened her eyes, she found herself embraced by the strong arms of her husband. A smile spread on her face when she remembered their conversation from last night. They had finally put their disagreements behind them and for the first time in days she felt comfortable being so close to him again.

She thought about lying next to him for a while longer when her eyes fell on Lee. He was cuddled in his blanket and was visibly trembling. It was frakking cold in the cave and not even the fire gave enough warmth to keep the cold out. Without Sam she didn't think she would have slept at all because of it.

Determined to make Lee more comfortable, she reached for an extra blanket and went to him. Careful not to wake him up, she put the blanket over him. She was just about to turn back when she saw his eyes flutter open.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She said quietly.

"I wasn't sleeping much anyway. Thanks." He said, pointing at the extra blanket. "How'd it go last night?" He asked as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He flinched as the movement brought back the pain from his broken ribs.

"We got the radio. The Chief said the Cylons are jamming any transmissions but if we go high enough, that shouldn't be a problem. Now we can finally contact Galactica."

The sad look flashing through Lee's eyes didn't go unnoticed by Kara. Sympathetically she grasped his hand. "He's still alive, Lee. I know that."

"Yeah." Lee said quietly, looking at his hands. He wished he could believe her. But the chances were just so small.

"I'll make some coffee. You want some?" Kara tried to lighten his mood.

"Sounds great."

While Kara prepared the coffee, Lee looked at her thoughtfully. "So, once you contact Galactica, what are you going to do then?"

"We'll decide on a time for Galactica to jump back into the system. Until then all settlers need to be somewhere near their ships. Tigh and the others can take care of that. We'll get them in the ships and leave the planet while Galactica keeps the Cylons busy." Kara explained her plan.

"What about the Cylons on the planet? You think they're just going to let you all get onto the ships?" Lee asked doubtfully.

"There must still be some weapons left the resistance was able to hide from them. I know we'll lose some people, but there just is no other way."

"Resistance?"

"Well, they were about to built one up when I was there the first time. So surely they must have weapons somewhere." She paused a moment. "I know there are a lot of open questions in this plan. Of course we'll have to talk to Tyrol and the others again before we try to get off this planet. But … it will work, it just has to."

"And you're convinced it'll work?"

"Yes." Kara replied determinedly.

"Okay then."

"Okay then?" She couldn't believe that this was all he had to say. He couldn't just accept it like this, not when there were so many questions open.

"So far all of your crazy plans have worked, so why not this one." Lee shrugged.

Kara only shook her head. When did he start to trust her that much? This change in his demeanor towards her irritated her. They hadn't talked for months. All this time she had believed he hated her and would never trust her again. But the last few days ... it was as if none of it had ever happened and they were back to being best friends.

When she noticed that the coffee was ready, she was grateful for the distraction. She poured them both a cup and handed one to Lee.

They both enjoyed the hot coffee and neither said a word for a while until Lee suddenly started coughing and grabbed his chest in pain.

Kara quickly reached over to him and tried to steady him by holding him by his shoulders. "You okay?" She asked worried when he had stopped coughing.

"Yeah." Lee pressed out, the pain evident in his voice. He leaned back against the wall and tried to catch his breath.

"You're not going to get sick, are you? I don't think I can handle another health crisis." Kara said, only half joking.

"Don't worry. If you're right, the Galactica should be here soon. Then you can just dump me in sickbay." He said, still out of breath.

"Right."

"So, is everything all right between you and Anders?" Lee asked after a while. He wasn't sure how Kara would react to his question. He just hoped it wouldn't make her angry. She knew what he thought about her husband. But he just needed to know.

"Why do you ask?" Kara asked uncomfortably. She wasn't sure if talking about her husband with Lee of all people was really such a good idea.

"You seemed a bit cold towards him. I just wondered ..." Lee didn't finish his sentence. He didn't want to push his luck. He should be glad that Kara hadn't punched him yet. This really wasn't any of his business.

"We ... had some disagreements. But it's settled now."

"So, you're happy?" He hoped his question didn't sound too disappointed. Of course he wanted Kara to be happy.

"Yes, very happy. And I'll be even happier when we're all safe back on Galactica."

"Me too."

They both continued to drink their coffee in silence. Lee coughed a few more times and every time he held his chest in pain. Kara was starting to get worried that he might have something worse than just a normal cold. It really was freezing cold in the cave and he was hardly able to move. The blood loss had already weakened him – Kara didn't even want to imagine what a simple cold might do to him.

XXXXXXX

With half closed eyes Sam watched Kara talking to Lee Adama. He had woken up when she had crawled out from under the blanket and had wanted to grab her arm and make her stay a while longer when he saw that all her attention was back on him again.

He had pretended to be still asleep while Kara prepared coffee and talked to Lee. He wasn't sure why he hadn't just gotten up too and joined them. He had told her he would respect their friendship. Joining them now would prove that he had meant what he'd said.

But he didn't get up. Instead he stayed under the blanket and watched them. Everything about them seemed so natural. There was no indication that they had spent the last few months not talking to each other. They were acting like … like best friends, he thought bitterly. But there was more. He couldn't point his finger on it, but there was more between them than just friendship. And he was afraid that he would lose his wife to this other man because of that. After all, she had been lying right next to him, in his arms and still all she could think about was Lee Adama.

XXXXXX

Later that day, Sam and Kara went higher up the mountains so they could use the radio. At first Kara had insisted that Sam would stay with Lee, while Zarek would accompany her. It had taken both Sam's and Lee's persistence that she had finally agreed to go with Sam. It had been Lee's final argument that had made Kara change her mind. And as much as Sam tried not to think about that, he just couldn't push this thought out of his mind. She hadn't listened to him, she had listened to Lee.

"This should be high enough. Let's try the radio." Kara said, a bit out of breath. The climb up here had been difficult and the freezing cold had done the rest. Kara felt as exhausted as if she had been climbing in the mountains all day.

"When we're done here, we should talk about what we do with the explosives. We still haven't decided on an objective yet." Sam knew it was stupid to bring up that subject again. Kara had never really agreed to Zarek's plan and now that they had the radio she was probably going to be more than unwilling to go on with it.

Kara thought about his question for a moment. "I'll talk to Tigh. Once we know when Galactica will be here, we'll place the explosive at the most tactical place. Hopefully it'll create enough diversion so we can get all settlers on board the ships."

"You know that's not what I was talking about, Kara. We had agreed to attack the Cylons at every possible chance we get."

"No, we agreed to go with this stupid, idiotic terrorist plan in case we can't contact Galactica. Well, now we can contact them. So we're going with my plan." Kara replied in an agitated voice.

"And who made you the leader?"

"What is your problem, Sam?" Kara asked angrily.

"Tom and I both agreed to go with his plan. That's two against one, Kara. You can't just overrule that."

"This is not just about the three of us. There are over 40,000 people down there and I'm sure they won't be pleased if one of them died in your stupid bomb attack."

"So, you want to ask each one of them which plan they prefer?"

Kara had finally enough. Without even really thinking about it, she raised her fist and punched Sam in the face. Surprised by her attack, Sam lost his balance and fell to the ground. Stunned he looked at his fuming wife standing above him.

"What was that for?"

"What do you think?" Kara glared at him angrily. "I'm trying to save us here, Sam. This isn't some game where you get another chance in case you screw up. If we don't do this right, than humanity dies. And no matter how much I love you, I'm not going to stand beside and watch how you follow some crazy old terrorist just because you like his idea. We're doing this my way and you're either helping me or you don't, I don't care."

"Are you sure you still love me?" Sam asked quietly.

This time it was Kara who looked at her husband surprised. "What?"

"The way you've been acting lately … when you're with him …"

"Don't tell me this is about Lee again." Kara interrupted him. "We talked about that last night. You said you trusted me. Was that all just a bunch of lies?"

"No." Sam looked at her desperately. "I do trust you. I don't think that you would hurt me on purpose. But … you can't control your feelings. And if you do love him, than …"

"I don't! I don't love Lee Adama. And this is the last time I'm telling you this because I'm sick of everyone telling me what I feel."

Without saying anything else, Kara turned her back to Sam and knelt down to get the radio started. When she didn't see him anymore, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to regain her composure. Her mind told her that she just told Sam the truth. She didn't love Lee. But her heart screamed that it wasn't Sam she wanted to spend the rest of her live with. Well, she had always been good at ignoring her heart.

"So is it working?"

Sam's question cut into Kara's thoughts and she forced herself to concentrate on the radio. She pushed a few buttons before she grabbed for the receiver, praying to the gods that it would work.

"Galactica, this is Starbuck. Can you hear me?"

She only received static for an answer. "Galactica, Starbuck. Can you hear me? Please respond?"

Again she heard nothing but static. Desperately she turned towards Sam.

The look in her eyes struck Sam to the core. Suddenly their fight seemed more than stupid to him. Humanities future was at stake here. They could worry about their relationship once they were off this frakking planet. And she was his wife and knew a lot more about military tactics than he did. It was time he realized that and shoved his male pride to the side. If she wanted to continue with her plan, then he would support her. He just hoped it wasn't too late. "Try again."

Kara looked at him for a second. He was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"Galactica, Starbuck. Can anyone hear me?" She tried again, close to losing hope.

"Starbuck, this is Galactica actual. What do you hear?"

Kara let out a relieved laugh at hearing those words. "Nothing but the rain, Sir."

TBC

**A.N.: Thanks to Laurie for beta reading. :) And thanks to everyone who reviewed. :) I hope you like this chapter. **


	8. Chapter 8

"I hope there are no hard feelings between us." Zarek said quietly. He and Lee had been sitting for over an hour in the cave, neither of them saying a word.

"No, of course not. You just tried to kill me. Why would I have hard feelings about that?" Lee replied sarcastically.

"I think I made it clear that I did not try to kill you. In fact, the morpha injections made you a lot more comfortable. You didn't feel any pain those first few days, did you?"

Lee let out a small chuckle which resulted in another coughing fit. After the pain in his chest had subsided and he was able to breathe again without too much pain, he looked up at Zarek. "Don't think I believed a word you said about your reasons for giving me those injections. Whatever you do, Zarek, is for your own advantage. And about making me more comfortable … I'd rather be in pain and aware of the situation than lying around unconscious all day, especially with people like you around me." The talking made him cough more again a few times and he decided that talking to Zarek really wasn't worth the pain it caused. He was just about to lay back down, when he heard a sound from outside the cave.

"I wasn't lying. And your death certainly wouldn't have …"

"Shut up." Lee suddenly hissed.

Zarek was about to reply offended when he saw the alerted look on Lee's face.

"Did you hear that?" Lee whispered.

XXXXXXX

Impatiently Sharon stood in front of Tyrol's tent. She had called for someone inside twice already, but no one had answered. She was just about to turn around, when the door opened and Cally stood before her.

Surprised Sharon took a deep breath. She had expected Galen to open for her, not his wife. "Uhm, hi, I … I need to talk to Ga … the Chief. It's important."

Cally looked coldly at the other woman. "He's not here."

With that she turned around to get back inside the tent, but Sharon stopped her from closing the door. "Cally, I know you hate me. You made that more than clear when you shot me on Galactica." Sharon bit her lip. She hadn't meant to bring that up, the words had escaped her mouth before she could stop them.

"Too bad it wasn't for good. You're still alive."

"Believe me, I'd rather be dead than … this." Sharon said bitterly.

Cally was surprised at the disgust in Sharon's eyes, but she refused to feel sorry for this woman. No, for the Cylon.

"It's really important that I speak to him. Please, I'm only trying to help."

"If you have anything to say to him, you can tell me. I'll give him the message." Cally said coldly. She would do anything in her power to keep Sharon away from her husband. She had done enough harm already.

Sharon hesitated a moment but before she could come to a decision, she heard Tyrol's voice behind her.

"What do you want?"

Relieved Sharon turned around to him. "Can we talk privately?" There was no really a reason why she couldn't tell him her information with Cally present. But there were so many more things she wanted to say to him and she needed to do that in private.

Tyrol threw an uncomfortable glance at his wife. Then he shrugged apologetically and turned back to Sharon. "This better be important." Then he walked a few meters away from the tent to a place where they could talk undisturbed. Sharon followed him quickly.

"So, what is this about?" Tyrol asked impatiently.

"Galen, I … I have some important information, but before I tell you, I …" She hesitated, not sure how to describe the way she felt. "I wanted to apologize. I … I know you must feel that our whole … relationship was a lie. But it wasn't. I really …"

"Sharon, I don't want to hear this. If this is all you wanted to talk about …"

"Please, let me finish, Galen. Please." Sharon looked at him pleadingly. "I really loved you. That wasn't a lie. And I didn't know I was a Cylon. After the explosion of the water tanks and everything else that happened, I asked Dr. Baltar to test me. He told me I was human, so … I believed him. And I saw no reason to tell you about my fears, because I thought they were just that … fears. If I … if I had known that I would be capable of the things I did … shooting the Commander … gods, Galen, I would have pulled that trigger until I was really dead. I didn't know. I'm so sorry." A few tears were running down Sharon's face and she couldn't continue anymore. She had said what she had wanted to say and now she could only hope that Galen would believe her. She knew he could never forgive her for what she did, but he needed to know that her feelings for him hadn't been a lie.

Galen swallowed a few times. He didn't know what to say. He really hadn't expected her to tell him all this. And what was he supposed to do now? Seeing her cry, it reminded him of the old Sharon. His Sharon, before the whole world went upside down and the woman he loved turned into a Cylon. She was his enemy, but she was also the woman he had wanted to spend the rest of his life with. She had shot the commander, but she had also given them the radio. He had seen her copy on Galactica, pregnant with Helo's baby, but this Sharon was in love with him. "Okay." He whispered after a while.

Sharon looked at him surprised. This was not exactly the answer she had expected. But he wasn't yelling at her or calling her a liar, so that was progress. And when she looked in his eyes, she wasn't sure what she saw in them. He didn't look at her anymore with hate as he had in Galactica's brig. And there was no mistrust in his eyes like there had been when she had brought him the radio. He looked at her almost … friendly. And this was more than she had ever hoped for.

"So, anything else I need to know?" Tyrol asked after a moment of silence.

Sharon had almost forgotten the main reason why she had wanted to speak to him. "Yes, there is. The Cylons know about Starbuck and the others."

"What?" Shocked Tyrol stared at her.

"And they're already on their way to them."

XXXXXXX

It was almost night when Kara and Sam returned to the cave. Kara felt ecstatic. She had finally been able to contact Galactica. It had felt so good hearing the Old Man's voice again. She could hardly wait to tell Lee his father was still alive. She had heard the joy and relief in Adama's voice when she had told him that his son hadn't died in the crash. She had filled him in on Lee's injuries, though she didn't have the heart to tell him how bad it really was. She still wasn't sure if Lee was strong enough to hold on long enough for her to get him back to Galactica, not with the cold he had developed. But Galactica was on its way back and it wouldn't be much longer before they all would be able to leave this cursed planet.

Smiling, she stepped into the cave. Lee could probably read the good news in her face. Her smile faded quickly though when she found the cave empty. The fire was out and the few things they had were scattered on the floor. Frozen she stood in the entrance.

"What the frak?" Sam muttered. He stepped into the cave and took a closer look around. There were a few footsteps visible on the ground. "Cylons." He hissed.

"What?" Shocked Kara stared at him.

"Those footsteps ... the Cylons were here. How did they find us? Frak!" He kicked at an empty can lying nearby. Then he quickly packed all their things in the rucksacks. "We have to go. They might come back."

"What about Lee? We can't leave. We ..."

"Kara, neither Lee nor Tom are here. They either managed to get away, in which case they're hiding somewhere else and they won't come back ... Or the Cylons have them. In that case there is nothing we can do for them now. Either way, we have to get away from here."

"Sharon ..." Kara whispered.

"What?" Confused Sam looked at his wife.

"She must have told them. I knew we shouldn't have trusted her. Frak! Frakking Cylon, I'll kill that bitch!" Angrily Kara punched her fist on the wall.

"You don't know if it was her. Now let's go. We need a place to stay the night and tomorrow we'll look for Lee and Tom, okay?"

Kara only nodded. She didn't think she was capable of talking right now. Her anger at Sharon and her fear for Lee was all she could think of right now.

"Come on." Determinedly Sam grabbed Kara's arm and pulled her out of the cave.

TBC

**A.N.: Thanks to Laurie for beta reading. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Panting, Lee dragged himself forward. He was leaning heavily on Zarek, a fact that he more than despised, but right now he had no other choice. His injured leg was hurting with every step, his lungs were burning and he could hardly breathe anymore. His head felt fuzzy and he didn't think he could keep going for much longer, but he also knew that they couldn't stop now. It had been pure luck that Zarek had found the back entrance of the cave the day before and they had been able to escape the Cylons storming their cave in the last second. But they could still be behind them and neither of them had dared to stop and check for it.

Lee didn't know how much time had passed since they had fled from the cave, but he was beginning to think that they might have been able to escape the Cylons for now. So far no one had shot at them. He took that as a good sign. He just hoped Kara and Anders were far away enough from the cave and wouldn't run directly into the hands of the Cylons. He tried to keep thinking about Kara to take his mind of his hurting body and the fact that every breath he took sent a stabbing pain through his chest. But no matter how hard he was trying to fight it, his vision started to blur and he could feel his legs give in seconds before his world turned black.

XXXXXXX

"This should be far enough. The bushes give us enough cover. I think we'll be safe here for the night." Sam said. So far they had been lucky and hadn't encountered any Cylons. He hoped it would stay that way. He was just about to sit down on the ground, when he saw Kara still walking on. "Kara, wait. Where are you going?"

"We can't just sit around and do nothing." Kara said in an agitated voice.

"Gods, Kara. We agreed on that. Even if we keep on looking for them, in this dark we could walk right past them and wouldn't see them." Sam replied impatiently.

"I know. Which is why we'll go to the City now – in the dark – and give our information to Tigh. The sooner they start with the preparations, the better. And as soon as the sun is up, we can search for Lee."

"You want to go to the City? Kara, the Cylons are looking for us. We won't even get near the City."

"The Cylons will think that we will think that which is why they won't look for us near the City. They're searching the mountains for us. The safest place for us right now will be right among them."

"What?" Sam stared at her dumbfounded.

"Trust me on this, Sam. I know what I'm doing. Come on."

Without waiting for hr husband to reply, Kara strode forward. After a moment of hesitation and a tirade of curses about his stubborn wife, Sam followed her. They walked in silence, their hands never leaving their guns. About one hour later they finally saw the lights of the City beyond them.

"I still think this is suicide." Sam whispered.

"Duly noted. Now come on, there are no patrols nearby, this is our chance." Carefully Kara made her way to the City, closely followed by Sam.

XXXXXXX

Groaning Cally stretched her back. It had been hurting for hours and it seemed to get only worse instead of better.

"Maybe we should call Cottle anyway? Just to make sure." Tyrol said for the third time. He had watched his wife all evening and he could see she was in pain. He was worried that it had something to do with the baby. "What if these are already contractions?"

"Galen, I'm only eight months pregnant. These aren't contractions, it's only a plain backache."

"But what if the baby comes ..."

"No!" Cally cut in sharply. "The baby is fine."

"Cally ..."

"Go back to bed, Galen. You have to get up early tomorrow. I just need to walk a few steps. I can't sleep anyway."

Worried Galen watched his wife walk through the room. He wished she would let him call Cottle. Just in case ...

"Chief?"

Surprised Tyrol jumped up. "Did you hear that?"

"What?" Cally asked through clenched teeth.

"Someone just called ..." Tyrol stopped when he saw a knife cut through the tent. Then he heard a whisper again.

"Chief, it's me."

"Starbuck?"

"Can we come in? It's getting rather cold out here."

"Yeah sure. Come on in. Thank the gods you're all right."

As soon as Starbuck and Anders were inside the tent, Tyrol quickly moved a desk in front of the tear. Then he turned to them with hope in his eyes. "Did it work?"

"Yes, we reached Galactica. Listen, the Cylons ..."

"...found out about you, I know." Tyrol finished for her. "We tried to warn you, but we couldn't get out. Is everyone all right?"

A look of despair flashed over Kara's face and Tyrol knew something was wrong.

"When we came back to the cave, Lee and Zarek were gone. There were traces of Cylons everywhere." Kara told him in a shaky voice.

"Did they catch them?" Tyrol asked worried.

"We don't know. We're going back to the mountains tomorrow to look for them." Sam said quietly.

Tyrol was just about to reply something, when a cry from behind stopped him. "Cally."

With a few quick steps, he had reached his wife. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I ... ow ..." Holding her hands tightly on her belly, Cally doubled over in pain. Only Tyrol's strong hands were keeping her from falling on the ground.

Kara was quickly by their side. "Get Cottle. We'll stay with her."

Tyrol hesitated a second, not willing to leave his wife alone right now. But he knew he had no other choice. "I'll be right back, Cally. Hang on." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and then he ran out of the tent.

XXXXXXX

Slowly Lee came back to consciousness. The first thing he noticed was that he was lying on the floor. When he opened his eyes, he saw Zarek bending over him.

"Captain, glad to see you awake." Zarek said smiling.

Lee blinked a few times to get his vision sharper, then he tried to get up. Immediately his head swam at the movement and he laid back down again. "What happened?" He asked after a moment.

"You passed out. I was already starting to worry. Didn't think you'd wake up again."

"Yeah, right." Lee closed his eyes again and took some deep breaths. Then he tried to get up again. This time his head only felt slightly dizzy. He took that as progress. "How long was I out?"

"Only a few minutes." Zarek paused for a moment. "If you feel up to it, we should keep going. We need to find some place warm to stay. It's getting really cold out here."

Slowly Lee nodded. He didn't really think he could go much further. His whole body was hurting, he was cold and tired. But he knew that staying here wasn't an option. He tried to ignore the pain as he raised himself up off the ground. As soon as he stood, the whole world seemed to spin around him. He leant against the tree trunk and took some deep breaths. He could feel Zarek holding him by the arm and when he looked at him, he thought he saw some real worry in his eyes. He must be really sick, if someone like Zarek worried about him. He took another deep breath and gradually his world stopped spinning and he got his bearings again.

"Let's go." He said quietly after a moment.

XXXXXXX

"The baby is coming." Cottle said quietly.

"What?" Both Cally and Tyrol called out.

"But it's too early," Cally said with tears in her eyes.

"There's nothing I can do to stop it now. But if Starbuck is right, then Galactica will be here soon and your baby will be safe in life station." Cottle tried to calm them.

"I hope you're right." Tyrol replied worried.

Sitting around a table a few feet away from the worried couple, Kara and Sam informed Tigh and Roslin about the plan they had made with Adama.

"Galactica will jump in tomorrow at 12.00 hours. You need everyone to be at the right place then. Get as many of your people as possible to attack the Cylons and create enough diversion to get the people to the ships. If everything turns out right, we will be off this planet by tomorrow night."

"It has to go right." Roslin said determinedly. "We won't get a second chance."

"This won't leave you with much time to find Apollo." Tigh said quietly. He never really liked the young man, but the Old Man would be devastated if he found out his son was dead. He hoped Starbuck would find him before the Cylons did.

"That's why we're leaving right before dawn. I don't want to waste any time." The determination in Kara's voice didn't leave any doubt that she wouldn't come back before she found Lee.

XXXXXXX

As planned, Kara and Sam left the next morning, right before dawn. They managed to slip out of the city unnoticed by the Cylons and began their search for their friends. They didn't say much as they looked at their surroundings for any signs of them.

"We need to get back. Galactica is gonna jump into the system in less than in hour. We have to be back in the City by then." Sam said after a few hours of silence between them.

"We haven't found him yet."

"We haven't found them yet." Sam said angrily. "Lee is not the only one missing, remember?"

Kara only glared at him and continued walking.

"Damn it, Kara, we have to get back now!"

"I'm not leaving without Lee. I won't stand in front of the Old Man and tell him that I left his son dying on this frakking planet. I'm not leaving him behind!"

"I know what he means to you, but you have to face the fact that they're probably dead by now. Even if they had managed to escape the Cylons, in this cold it's not very likely that they made it very far. And in the shape Adama was in ..." Sam didn't finish his sentence. He knew he didn't have to.

Kara had stopped walking and stared at him angrily. She was just about to reply something, when she saw a movement behind him. Immediately she grabbed for her gun and pushed Sam to the side.

"What is it?" Sam asked, grabbing for his own gun at the same time. Then he saw what had caught Kara's attention. Someone was running in their direction. He was too far away to recognize him.

Both of them kept their guns pointed at him, until he was close enough for them to see who it was.

"Tom?" Sam called out surprised.

TBC

**A.N.: Thanks to Laurie for beta reading :) **


	10. Chapter 10

"Tom?" Sam called out surprised. "What happened? Are you all right?"

"Where is Lee?" Kara yelled as soon as they were standing in front of each other.

Zarek held his hand up and tried to catch his breath before he replied. "He's about … half an hour behind me."

"You left him behind?" Kara yelled even louder.

"Kara …" Sam put his hand on her arm and tried to calm her. He didn't want to attract the attention of any Cylons.

"He couldn't go on anymore." Zarek explained. "I didn't want to leave him, but he said …"

Kara didn't wait for him to finish and punched him right in the face. "You left him, you frakking son of a …"

"Gods damn it, Kara, would you stop punching people? This isn't helping." Sam hissed at her. Then he turned to Zarek and helped him up. "What happened?"

Zarek threw a careful glance in Kara's direction. When he was certain that she wouldn't punch him again for now, he started to explain what happened. "We were able to escape the Cylons through a back entrance of the cave …"

"A back entrance?" Kara interrupted him in a sharp voice.

"I discovered it the day before. Anyway …"

"And you didn't think to tell us about it?" Kara cut in again angrily.

"I figured it might be good to have an escape plan in case you tried to take your anger out on me again. Now can I please go on?"

Kara snorted cynically, but motioned for him to continue. Sam shook his head at the sight of his angry wife.

"We escaped and ran, more or less. After a few hours, Apollo collapsed. He was only unconscious for a few minutes and we went on again afterwards, but it was already clear then that he couldn't go on for much longer. He held up until about an hour ago though and I have to admire him for that. I know I would have given up long before that."

"Of course you would. You're …"

"Let him finish, Kara." Sam stopped her from saying anything more. "What happened an hour ago?"

"He collapsed again and this time he didn't wake up so fast. And when he did, it was evident that he couldn't go on any further. We agreed that …"

"We?" Again Kara cut in sharply.

"Yes. We agreed!" Zarek glared at her angrily. He had enough of her doubting every word he said. "Apollo said that it would be best to leave him where he was and that I should make it to the City and try to get help. He figured that is where you would have been headed anyway if you'd escaped the Cylons. Like I said, I didn't want to go at first …" Zarek paused a moment and looked at Kara, almost waiting for her to interrupt him again. But she stayed quiet and only shot him an angry glare. "… but I realized that this was the only way to get help for him. I couldn't carry him all the way, so I left."

"It was the right decision." Sam said quietly.

"Which way?" Kara asked through clenched teeth.

Zarek pointed at the way he came. "Just follow my path. You can't miss it in the snow."

"Neither can the Cylons. You could have led them right to him." Kara didn't want to wait any longer and started to run the way Zarek had showed her. But Sam quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Wait!"

"Let go!" Kara hissed.

"Kara, think for a moment. Adama … Lee is hurt. He can't walk and we can't carry him all the way down to the City, not with all the Cylons around. We'd be too slow and we'd never make it in time. We have less than one hour before Galactica jumps in …"

"So they're really coming back?" Zarek asked surprised.

"Yes, I told you the Admiral wouldn't leave." Kara snapped at him. Then she turned back to Sam. "I can't just leave him there, Sam."

"And I'm not asking you to. Let me go to him. You go back to the City, get a raptor and come back here. This way we can bring him right back to Galactica."

Kara swallowed. She knew Sam was right. It was only logical that she was the one to get the raptor. She was the pilot. But she couldn't leave now. She had been looking for Lee all day, all the time thinking that he might be dead already. And now that she was so close to him … She couldn't turn around now. "Sam, I can't …" She whispered desperately.

In that moment, Sam knew that he had been right all along. He stared at his wife for a moment, then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he had made up his mind. "All right, you go to him and Tom and I get the raptor. Let's just hope I find someone willing to pilot it back to you."

"Thank you." Kara looked at him gratefully. She knew it wouldn't be a problem to find a pilot. She had a lot of friends in the town who were capable of flying a raptor. And even if they weren't willing to risk their lives for her, they would never leave Apollo behind. Every one of them owed him their lives and respected him as much as his father. They wouldn't leave this planet as long as he was still here.

"Be careful." Sam said quietly. Out of habit, he leaned down to give her a kiss, but stopped himself. He ignored the surprised look she threw his way and left, followed quickly by Zarek.

Kara watched them leave for a few seconds, wondering about why Sam hadn't kissed her, then she turned around and ran to find Lee.

XXXXXXX

Lee was leaning against a tree, his hand clasped around his gun. He tried to concentrate on his breathing which was getting more difficult with every passing minute. His whole body was hurting and despite his flight suit he was trembling all over from the cold and he felt so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. The thought crossed his mind that he could as well let go of his gun. He didn't think he was able to shoot a Cylon right now even if one was standing right in front of him. But he didn't let go.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed since Zarek had left. He didn't think it was that long, though it seemed like an eternity for him already. Zarek had actually surprised him when he had refused to go to the City alone. It had taken some time to convince him that this was their only way out of here. He couldn't walk anymore. He could barely keep the grab around his weapon and he seriously doubted he had enough strength left to raise it should he see any Cylons coming. But he didn't think he'd have to wait much longer anyway. He was certain Zarek would try to get some people to pick him up from here, but he was also as certain that they would come too late. He had been trying to stay strong for so long and now he just didn't have any strength left to fight this.

He closed his eyes, ready to give in to the inevitable. His thoughts went to Kara. He hoped she had been able to escape the Cylons, that she had reached the Galactica and would get off this frakking planet. His mind was beginning to blur and he loosened the grasp on his weapon when he suddenly heard steps coming closer. So the Cylons had found him. He tried to gain all the strength he had left. Maybe he could at least take out one toaster before they killed him. He opened his eyes and tried to raise his arm. He couldn't. The gun he was holding weight like a hundred tons. He could see a figure running towards him. It looked like a woman. Was she calling his name? He blinked a few times and tried to clear his vision. She looked just like … "Kara?" He whispered, not even aware that he spoke her name out loud.

"Lee." Finally Kara had found him. She quickened her steps even more and after a few seconds she was at his side. "Lee … Just hold on. Sam is getting a raptor, we're getting you out of here."

Lee could do nothing but stare at her. Getting him out? Just a few seconds ago he had been willing to give up and now Kara was here and …

"I talked to your father, Lee." Kara said, grasping his hand tightly. "He's still alive and he's coming to get us home." A single tear escaped her eyes. She had been waiting so long to tell him the news about his father. And now that she finally had, she wasn't even sure if he understood what she had told him. He looked like he struggled hard to even stay awake. "Your Dad is coming for you, Lee."

"My Dad …" Lee's voice broke and he started coughing. His eyes fluttered and Kara was afraid he would lose consciousness any second.

"Just hold on, Lee. Just a little bit longer. We're almost home." Kara tightened her grip around his hand a bit more. She willed him to stay awake, to keep fighting until the raptor was here.

XXXXXXX

"We can't wait any longer. We have to go." Tyrol said urgently. He could hear shots from outside. The resistance had started their attack a few minutes ago and everyone was trying to get to the ships to leave the planet. He hoped Starbuck was right and Galactica was really up there waiting for them.

"I know that, Galen. But … oww …" Crying out in pain, Cally clasped her hands around her belly as another contraction spread through her.

Desperately Galen watched his wife. He had to get her on one of the ships fast. But they were so far away from any of them; he didn't think she would be able to walk this distance. "Put your arm around my shoulder." He ordered her after a second.

"Why?" Cally asked through clenched teeth.

"I'm gonna carry you to one of those ships if it's the last thing I do. Now come on."

"Galen, you can't …" Again Cally cried out in pain. She hardly noticed how Tyrol put her arm around him and lifted her up.

He was breathing heavily as he carried her out of the tent. She weight a lot more than he would have thought, but being eight months pregnant that wasn't really surprising. But he would get her to one of the ships. Suddenly he felt a pain in his leg and stumbled to the ground. He could hear Cally cry out in pain and for a moment forgot about his own pain. "You're all right?"

"Yes …" She pressed out. Then her eyes widened in shock. "Galen, your leg …"

"What?" When Tyrol looked at his leg he saw blood pouring out of a wound and suddenly he was well aware of the pain again. He had been shot. "Frak!"

"Let me help you."

Surprised both Tyrol and Cally looked up. They found Sharon standing next to them. She quickly ripped some cloth off her shirt and bent it around Tyrol's leg to stop the bleeding then she put Cally's arm around her shoulder.

"No …" Cally tried to shake her off, but Sharon held on to her tightly.

"Do you want to be on one of those ships or not?" She asked impatiently.

Helplessly Cally looked at her husband, when another contraction hit her.

"We need her help, Cally." Tyrol said determinedly. He got up himself and saw Sharon do the same, with Cally on her arms.

"It's going to be okay, Cally. Just hold on." He tried to calm his wife.

"Chief!"

Tyrol turned around and saw Anders and Zarek running in his direction. "You found them." He called out relieved.

"In a way. I need a raptor. Kara and Apollo are still in the mountains. We gotta pick them up. And we might need some help." Sam explained quickly. He glanced suspiciously at Sharon for a second, remembering Kara's words in the cave. She had been convinced that Sharon had betrayed them. And here she was, helping her ex-lover bringing his pregnant wife to safety. She didn't exactly look like a betrayer right now.

Tyrol hesitated a moment.

"Go." Cally pressed out. "I'll see you on Galactica."

"All right. But … take care, okay?" He said helplessly. The last thing he wanted to do now was leave his wife alone, but he trusted Sharon. He knew she would look out for her. He leaned down to Cally and gave her a kiss.

"Be careful." She whispered.

"You too. I love you."

"We have to go." Sam said impatiently. He could understand how Tyrol felt right now, but they were running out of time.

XXXXXXX

Kara had slung her arms around Lee, trying to keep them both warm. By now they were both trembling from the cold and Kara just hoped that Sam would come back quickly. Lee had lost consciousness about half an hour ago and he hadn't woken up again. She watched his chest raise and fall and she prayed that he would hang on until they were safe. But she could practically feel him slipping away. His breathing was shallow and his face was as white as the snow around them.

"Gods, Sam, please hurry." She prayed silently. Suddenly she hurt the sound she had been waiting for and a few seconds later she could see a raptor coming closer. Sam had found them.

"Hang on, Lee. We're almost home."

TBC

**A.N.: Thanks to Laurie for beta reading :) **


	11. Chapter 11

Lee felt like he was floating. His mind was fuzzy and he couldn't remember where he was. He thought about opening his eyes and taking a look around, but he was too tired and he didn't think it was worth the effort. He could feel the pain return and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. Then he noticed someone holding his hand and a familiar voice calling his name – distant at first, but getting clearer with every word. He forced his eyes to open.

"Dad?" He croaked.

"Lee." Adama said, relieved to see his son finally awake. "I'm here, son."

Lee had a vague memory of Kara telling him that his father was alive and that he was coming for him. He still wasn't sure where he was … on New Caprica, a Raptor or already on Galactica. But seeing his father next to him made him feel safe. Wherever he was, he was home. He managed to give his father a small smile and squeezed his hand weakly. Then his thoughts returned to Kara. There was a nagging feeling that he had been worried about her, but he couldn't remember why. The last thing he remembered was that she was holding him.

"Kara?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"She's safe and doing what she's best in … flying a viper." Adama smiled. "She's on CAP."

Lee smiled at that image and satisfied that Kara was safe, he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

XXXXXXX

Smiling, Kara walked through the corridors of Galactica. She hadn't realized how much she had missed flying. Being back on Galactica was great, but being back in a viper had made her feel home. She hadn't felt so good in months.

Now she was on her way to sickbay. She had promised Anders to stop by their quarters after CAP, but the Admiral had told her over the wireless that Lee had finally woken up and she just needed to see him right now. Adama had said that Lee had only woken up for a short moment, but there was still a chance that he might be awake when she got there. And even if he wasn't … just knowing that he was finally on his way to recovery made her feel better. The memories of what had happened on their way back to Galactica were still clear in her mind. Lee had stopped breathing minutes before they had landed on the flight deck and she had barely been able to keep him alive until the medics took over. Thankfully they had already been waiting for them on the flight deck; they had to resuscitate him twice before they reached sickbay. He had been in critical condition for the last 48 hours, but Cottle had told them that if he woke up soon, a full recovery was to be expected. And he had finally woken up now.

Quietly she walked to Lee's bed. He wasn't awake. She sat down on the chair next to his bed and took his hand in hers.

"Hi." She said smiling. "I heard you finally decided to wake up for a moment. It was about time." She cleared her throat, the fear she had for him the last few days threatening to overwhelm her. She had come so close to losing him. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She had almost missed her chance to tell him all the important things. She wouldn't let that happen again. She knew he probably wouldn't remember anything she'd tell him now, but she needed to say it anyway. She didn't want to wait any longer.

"Lee, I … gods, I was so afraid to lose you. You have no idea … You have to promise me that you won't die. Ever. Or at least not before me, because … because I need you. You're my best friend, Lee, and I love you. I …" She stopped, shocked about her own words. Did she just say she loved him? Well, of course she loved him. As a friend … her best friend. She looked at him and asked herself if he wasn't really more to her than just her best friend. He had always been there for her and no matter how much she screwed up, she knew he would be there to help her clean up the mess she had created. He knew everything about her, she had told him every little detail about her life. Sometimes it took her a while to talk about certain things, but in the end she had always told him. He was one of the few people that knew about her childhood, her insecurities and about what happened to her on Caprica. There wasn't anything about her life that Lee didn't know about, things that she hadn't even told Sam. Lee was the first person she thought of when she was feeling depressed or happy and he was the first person she wanted to go to when she was feeling all alone. But shouldn't Sam be this person? He was her husband. He was the one she had married, the man she had told that she loved him. She had never said that to Lee. "I love you." She whispered. It sounded right.

"Kara."

Startled Kara turned around and saw Sam standing behind her. She looked at him surprised. Then she saw the hurt in his eyes. Oh gods, had he heard what she had just said? "Sam..."

XXXXXXX

Smiling, Tyrol watched his sleeping wife while holding their baby close to him. It was still hard for him to grasp that this little boy was his son. He was a father now. Their son was only allowed to be out of the incubator for a short time, but Tyrol needed to hold him every once in a while. With a big smile plastered on his face, he spoke quietly to him, careful not to wake Cally.

That's how Adama found them.

"Congratulations, Chief." He said smiling as he stepped closer.

"Thank you, Admiral." Tyrol replied.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop by earlier. He looks adorable. What did you call him?"

"Nicholas Steven Tyrol." The proud father replied.

"That's a good name."

"Yes, it is." Tyrol smiled. "How is Apollo doing, Sir?" For the first time Tyrol realized how the Admiral must feel, knowing that his son was in danger every time he went out in his viper and yet he never let it get in the way of doing his job. He didn't think he could handle that so well. He prayed that the war against the Cylons would be long over before Nicholas was old enough to become a part of it.

"He's still weak but he woke up for a short moment a while ago. Cottle says he expects a full recovery." Adama replied quietly. He could still hardly believe that he had his son back. For days he had thought Lee was dead. It had nearly broken him when he had heard Lee's last message over the wireless before he had crashed on the planet. He had lost control of his viper. Adama hadn't thought there was even a slight chance that his son could have survived such a crash. And if Kara hadn't found him, he probably wouldn't have. He could still remember clearly how he felt when he had heard Kara's voice over the wireless. He had felt utter relief that she was alive and when she had told him about Lee, he had thought his heart would burst with joy. Lee was alive … once again the gods had spared his son. Then, when he had seen Lee on the flight deck, he had thought the gods were playing with him. Sparing Lee's live and bringing him back to Galactica, only to take his life minutes before he'd reached the safety of his home. But Lee was a lot stronger than Adama would have thought possible and he hadn't stopped fighting. And with Cottle's help he had survived. And Adama had his son back. He suddenly noticed that Tyrol was watching him thoughtfully. He forced himself to push the thoughts of his son back to his mind for the moment and concentrated on the man in front of him. Tyrol looked as if something was bothering him.

"Is something wrong, Chief?"

Tyrol hesitated a moment. He wasn't sure if he should bring this up. But he wanted the Admiral to know and he might not get another chance to talk to him privately anytime soon. "Sir, Sharon … I mean Boomer, she was on the planet. She helped us."

"I already read Starbuck's report. She gave you the radio." Adama replied. He still felt uncomfortable talking about the woman who shot him and whose dead body he had visited several times in Galactica's morgue.

"That wasn't all. During the attack … I couldn't get Cally to one of the ships by myself and she helped. Sharon carried her all the way, until …" Tyrol paused a moment. "Do you know what happened to her, Sir?"

"No, I don't."

"She got shot. I don't know by whom. Cally told me … She said she was shot in the back a few feet before they reached the ship. Sir, she saved my family and she died for them." Tyrol couldn't continue. When he looked up at the Admiral, he knew he didn't have to.

Adama looked thoughtfully at the younger man for a moment. "Lt. Sharon Valerii has proven several times how useful she was. I was proud to have her in my crew. Even though she was a Cylon … or maybe because she was a Cylon … What she did for us since the attacks, saving all those refugees, finding the tylium mine, Kobol, destroying the basestar … that won't be forgotten." Adama said quietly.

"And the fact that she shot you?"

"As far as I'm concerned, I wasn't shot by Sharon Valerii. I was shot by a Cylon."

Tyrol wasn't sure what he should say to this, so he stayed quiet. But he was grateful. The fact that Sharon, the woman he once loved more than anything in the world, wouldn't only be remembered as some machine meant a lot to him. Then something Sharon had said came back to his mind.

"Sir, there is one more thing …"

"Yes?"

"Sharon … She said that Dr. Baltar tested her. And he told her she was human."

Adama looked surprised at Tyrol. He wondered what that meant. Had Baltar's Cylon detector never really worked? Or had he lied to Boomer? And if he had, why did he do it? Tyrol had just added one more question to a long list of questions Adama needed to discuss with Baltar.

XXXXXX

Silently Kara sat across from Sam in their quarters. He hadn't spoken a word since they left sickbay and that worried her. Sam wasn't usually that quiet. And she wasn't known for her patience.

"Look Sam, what you heard in sickbay … what I said, that doesn't mean .."

"I know what it means, Kara." Sam said, with a sad look in his eyes.

"No Sam, you don't. Look, I … " Kara stopped, unable to find the right words.

"You can't even say it anymore, can you? That's okay, because I'm sick of hearing it."

"What do you mean?" Kara whispered.

"That Lee Adama is your friend. Sorry, your best friend. And nothing more. You know that's not true, Kara … Or maybe you don't know because you're too blind or too afraid to admit what's going on here. But you love him. I saw it in your eyes on New Caprica. You couldn't leave him to get that raptor, but you had no problem sending me back to New Caprica City right during the attack. You had no problem leaving me."

"Sam …"

"No, Kara. It's okay, really. I should have known from the start that this wouldn't work. I saw the way he looked at you right after we came back from Caprica. It was the first time I met him and I already hated him because he looked at you exactly like I felt about you. I didn't notice it then, but I do now … You look at him the same way. You always have, but I was too afraid to admit that, because I knew that the minute I did, I had lost you. But I was just lying to myself. I never had you. You were always his." Sam let out a harsh laugh. "Starbuck and Apollo … nothing ever comes between them. I stopped counting how many times I heard someone say this. I never put much thought to this, because I knew that Kara and Lee weren't on the best terms. I mean, you hardly spoke to him before we moved to the planet and you had no contact at all with him afterwards. And I thought I had won but I was wrong. You belong to him. I won't stand in your way."

Kara sat still for a long time after Sam had finished. She didn't know what to say. She wanted to contradict, but she couldn't find the right words. And if she was honest to herself, she didn't really want to. In her heart, she knew he was right. She had spent a lot of time denying it, but in the end Lee had always been the One for her. She just never thought he might feel this way about her. But then his words on the Astral Queen came back to her mind … it seemed like a lifetime ago, but he had said he loved her. He took it back right afterwards and she had teased him with it, but what if … what if what Sam was saying was true … Then she might actually have a chance to be happy with Lee. But that meant she had to leave Sam.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly, tears in her eyes.

"So am I."

"What are we going to do now?"

"You do what you always do. You're gonna stay on Galactica and be the fleet's best viper pilot. And I'll find a job on some other ship. Maybe I can become a sports teacher or something or work for security. I'll find something. But Kara, I want you to promise me something." He looked at her with a stern expression.

"I promise you whatever you want." Kara said quietly.

"You have to make it work. Whatever is between you and Lee, don't screw it up. Because I don't want to give you up, only to see you staying alone. So be honest with yourself and with him and tell him how you feel. And don't run away from it."

Stunned, Kara stared at Sam. That was the last thing she'd expected him to say. Maybe he knew her better than she thought. He had just named her biggest fear … That if she told Lee how she felt and he would actually feel the same way, that she would somehow screw it up.

XXXXXXX

Sam left the next day. Roslin, who had resumed the position as president again after Baltar had resigned for personal reasons, had offered him a job as a teacher on the Rising Star. Kara had wanted to say good bye to him on the Hangar Bay, but she couldn't get herself to watch him leaving. So instead she had said her good byes to him in their quarters.

Since her marital status would be revoked soon, she figured she would have to give up her quarters in a few days. But she refused to move back to the officers bunkroom without anyone ordering her to. As much as she had missed the Galactica, she had gotten used to have a place just for herself and she was determined to enjoy her quarters for as long as possible.

After she had rearranged her things so the room wouldn't look so empty without Anders' belongings, she went to see Lee. This time she was lucky – he was awake.

"Hi." She greeted him smiling.

"Hi."

"You look much better. Those blue lips didn't really suit you." Kara said teasing. It had always felt easier to joke about the things that scared her than talk about them in earnest. And seeing Lee half dead had scared her a lot.

"I still feel like crap." Lee said weakly. He felt tired and exhausted and talking seemed to take all his strength, but he managed to put a smile on his face for her nevertheless.

"You'll feel better in a few days."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Kara laughed. Then she became serious again. "Don't wait too long with getting better though …" She hesitated a moment and cleared her throat before she continued. "There are some things I really need to talk to you about."

"What things?" Lee asked confused. He had closed his eyes again … it was just too difficult to keep them open and he didn't need his eyes open to talk to Kara.

"Just … things. It can wait a few more days."

Lee sensed that these "things" were important to Kara, but he was simply too tired to think about it right now. If she wanted to wait, that was okay with him.

Kara could see that Lee was close to falling back to sleep. She grasped his hand and gently stroked through his hair. Surprised Lee opened his eyes and looked at her again. She had never stroked him before.

Kara saw the confusion in his eyes. "Just get some rest. We can always talk later."

Lee struggled to stay awake. He had the feeling that these "things" Kara had mentioned were more important than she had made them sound. But he could feel he was losing the fight. He managed to squeeze her hand. "Thanks for everything." He mumbled before he fell asleep.

XXXXXXX

Lee's recovery was slower than expected, but he was able to stay awake longer with every passing day. After two weeks Cottle allowed him to do some paperwork and Kara happily gave him all of it. She still hadn't talked to him about her feelings. Lee hadn't brought the subject up again; Kara figured he probably had forgotten all about it … He had been pretty drugged when she mentioned she needed to talk to him. She told herself that she was waiting for the right moment, that she wanted him to be better before she brought the subject up. She knew she was lying to herself. She was simply afraid what his answer would be.

It took her another week to finally find enough courage to talk to Lee about it. And it took her over an hour and a nurse insisting that she couldn't stand in front of Lee's room all day, before she actually stepped inside to talk to him. She put up her best façade as she walked up to his bed. She didn't want him to realize something was bothering her at the first sight.

"Hi, how are you feeling?" Kara asked when she sat down next to his bed.

"Ready to leave."

"What did the Doc say?"

"Another two days." Lee sighed.

"Aw … sorry." Kara said sympathetically. She knew how boring sickbay could be.

"So, where's the paperwork?"

"You sound as if I would bring you paperwork every time I come here." Kara replied offended.

"Kara, since Cottle cleared me for it, you brought me paperwork every single time you visited me." Lee laughed.

"Hmm, right." Kara admitted grinning. "But this time I only brought myself."

"How nice."

"Yes …" Kara's grin faded and she hesitated a moment before she went on. "Lee … there is something we need to … I mean I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

Well …" She cleared her throat, trying to bring up the courage to say the words. "Okay, you don't have to respond to anything I have to say. Just listen, think about it … not too long if possible … uhm and …" Again she stopped. She really wasn't that courageous.

"Just spit it out, Kara." Lee told her. He wondered what was bothering her. She usually never was at a loss of words.

"You know that Anders and I broke up, right?"

"Yes."

"And you know he left Galactica and that there is no chance that we, I mean him and me will get together again. Ever."

"That's what you told me."

"And you know that I'm fine with it and that it was more or less my decision. I mean, he brought it up and all, but … You know, he did it because he knew I wanted it and just couldn't say it because I didn't know at the time that I knew and …"

"Kara, you're not making any sense."

"I love you."

Lee sat on his bed, too shocked to say anything at the moment. Did she just say what he thought she said? Maybe he was still on drugs and the Doc only forgot to tell him. But if she had really said it, how did she mean it? And why did she tell him now?

"Aren't you gonna say anything?"

"You said I didn't have to respond right away." Lee said weakly. He knew he should say something. And he should say it fast, before he had enough time to overthink this and screw it up.

When Lee didn't say anything else, Kara took that as proof that he didn't feel the same way for her as she did for him. She could kick herself for even bringing it all up. Sam had been wrong. Whatever he had seen in Lee's eyes, it hadn't been love. "Just forget it, okay? This is no big deal, I mean … I'll get over it. Let's just … just stay friends and not think about it anymore, all right? Let's just pretend I never said anything. We're friends, always, and I don't want to ruin that. So, we're just friends and that's it. I'm okay with that. Really." She smiled at him nervously.

"Kara." Lee finally interrupted her rambling. He had stopped thinking about it and decided to just go with it. Kara had told him she loved him. The one thing he never thought was possible had just happened and he wasn't going to let it slip away. He smiled at her warmly. "I think we might have to find a new definition for being just friends."

"What?" Confused Kara stared at Lee. "Why?"

"Because I love you too."

"Oh …" Kara needed a moment to comprehend what Lee had just said. When she did, a wide smile spread on her face. "So, what are we going to do now?"

Lee let out a small laugh. "I have no idea."

XXXXXXX

They eventually figured out what they were going to do. They would start this slowly. And they decided not to let anyone know at first. They wanted to see if they could be together as more than friends without the whole ship watching them. It was easier that way should it not work out between them after all.

But it did work out and two months after their talk in sickbay, Lee officially moved into Kara's quarters, which she successfully had kept for her own. Adama had been surprised at first. He had always known that his son and Kara were close … he just never suspected they were this close. But when he watched them closely now, he realized he should have noticed it a long time ago.

Their demeanor towards each other wasn't that different than before. They still argued a lot, they yelled at each other and Kara continued to break most of the rules Lee made as CAG.

What was new was that they would wait in the Hangar Bay for each other after their CAP, making sure the other made it home safely. They were seen walking along the corridors with their hands entwined when they thought no one would notice and more than once got caught kissing in storage rooms. And they both looked truly happy for the first time since they stepped onboard the Galactica.

The end

**A.N.: Thanks to Laurie for beta reading this chapter and for all your help with this story :) And thanks to everyone else for reviewing ... it's been all very encouraging and helpful and it's great knowing that people like this story :)**


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